Ed Newton-Rex, a former executive at Stability AI, has raised concerns over the potential exploitation of musicians by artificial intelligence (AI) companies using copyrighted music, according to a report from Sky News in the UK.
Newton-Rex expressed to Sky News that his concern lies not specifically with Stability as a company, but more broadly with the entire generative AI industry.
“Everyone really adopts this same position and this position is essentially we can train these generative models on whatever we want to, and we can do that without consent from the rights holders, from the people who actually created that content and who own that content,” he said, while also mentioning that a key reason big AI firms avoid negotiating agreements with artists and labels is due to the involved “legwork,” which incurs time and financial costs for them.
Stability AI, known for its audio generator Stable Audio, utilizes a vast array of existing songs to train its technology, enabling the creation of music from text prompts. However, Newton-Rex, who resigned from his role due to disagreements over the company’s stance on “fair use,” highlighted that many AI models are trained without explicit permission from copyright holders.
This issue has garnered attention as millions of AI-generated songs emerge online daily, with even prominent artists partnering with tech giants like Google, YouTube, and Sony to develop AI music tools. While some artists consent to their work being used in these AI models, there’s a growing concern about AI generators scraping music without creators’ approval. Notably, Grammy award-winning singer Bad Bunny publicly criticized the unauthorized use of his voice in an AI-generated song that gained popularity on TikTok.
Emad Mostaque — the co-founder and CEO of Stability AI — stated that the principle of fair use fosters the growth of creativity.
The debate over AI’s use in music echoes past concerns with technologies like autotune and digital sampling, which initially faced resistance but eventually became integral to modern music genres like hip-hop and jungle. Sampling, once viewed as a threat, now requires artists to obtain permission from copyright holders and has become a cornerstone of various music genres.
The human artistry campaign, representing global music associations, is advocating for regulatory measures to protect copyrights and ensure artists have the option to license their work to AI companies for a fee. As the industry evolves, the role of generative AI in music now hinges on the decisions of regulators, determining whether it becomes a beneficial tool or a detriment to artistic creativity.
Featured image: Credit: Ed Newton-Rex
