AI music companies say their tools can democratize the art form. Some artists are skeptical.
AI music software companies say that their tools can bridge the music education gap. But some artists are skeptical about the effects of such tools.
Artificial intelligence-made musical creations continue to go viral, from tunes like “10 Drunk Cigarettes” to “BBL Drizzy.” But despite AI-generated music’s recent popularity, use of the technology has faced intense criticism.
Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group sued the AI music companies Uncharted Labs and Suno this summer over software that allows users to create music from text prompts, alleging that copyrighted songs have been used without permission to train the AI. Universal Music Group has no connection to NBCUniversal, which operates NBC News.
Record labels have quickly worked to remove music that includes AI versions of Drake’s and The Weeknd’s voices.
And more than 200 musical artists, including Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder and Nicki Minaj, signed an open letter this year calling on AI companies to “protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”
Despite the pushback, AI music companies have continued to grow, and they’re using a novel argument to champion their businesses: accessibility.
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