Artificial Intelligence is one of the busiest—and rapidly changing—areas of the music business today. A year after Drake's fake song signaled the potential applications (and dangers) of the technology, industry lobbyists on Capitol Hill, like the RIAA's Tom Clees, are working to create guardrails to protect musicians — and maybe even and pay them.
Meanwhile, entrepreneurs like Soundful's Diaa El All and BandLab's Meng Ru Kuok (who oversees the platform as founder and CEO of parent company Caldecott Music Group) are showing naysayers that AI can augment human creativity and not just replace it. Tech and policy experts have promoted the use of ethical training data and partnered with groups like Fairly Trained and the Human Artistry Coalition to set a positive example for other AI entrants.
What is the biggest moment of your AI career?
Dia El All: I am proud to launch our product Soundful Collabs. We've found a way to do this by engaging the artists in an ethical way and not infringing on any of their actual copyrighted music. With Collabs, we build custom AI models that understand someone's production techniques and allow fans to create beats inspired by those techniques.
Meng Roo Kwok: Being the first creator platform to support the Human Artistry Coalition made sense. We're putting our necks out there as a technology company where people would expect us to be really against AI regulation. We don't think of ourselves as a technology company. We are a music company that represents and helps creators. Their future protection is very important to us.
Tom Cleese: I was extremely proud to see our ideas accepted into legislation like the AI Fraud Act in the House [and] the No Fakes Act in the Senate.
The term “AI” stands for all kinds of products and companies. What do you think is the biggest misconception around technology?
Clee: There are so many people working on these issues on Capitol Hill who have been told that it's impossible to train these AI platforms and do it in a way that respects copyright and do it fairly or that it could never work at scale . (To El All and Kuok.) Many of them don't know enough about what you do in AI. We have to take [you both] in Washington now.
Kwok: One of the misconceptions I educate [others about] Most of all, which is counter to the AI talk, is that AI is the only way to empower humans. AI will have a fundamental impact, but we take it for granted that people have access to laptops, studio equipment, to afford guitars — but most places in the world don't. There are billions of people who still don't have access to music.
El All: Many companies say, “It can't be done that way.” But there is a way to make technological progress while protecting artists' rights. Meng has done it, we have done it, there are other platforms that have done it. AI is a solution, but not for everything. It is supposed to be man plus technology that equals the result. We're here to enhance human creativity and give you another tool in your toolbox.
What predictions do you have for the future of artificial intelligence and music?
Clee: I see a world where so many more people become creators. They are enhanced by the technologies you have created. I see the relationship between artist and fan becoming much more collaborative.
Kwok: I am very optimistic that everything will turn out well, despite the obvious need for daily pessimism [inspire the] push for the right regulation and policy around artificial intelligence. I think even better music will be made in the future because you're empowering people who didn't necessarily have some functionality or tools. In a world where there is so much distribution and so much content, the need for differentiation is amplified so that people can actually rise up and rise to the top or become even better at what they do. It's a more competitive environment, which is scary… but I think you'll see successful musicians from every corner of the world.
El All: I predict that AI tools will help bring fans closer to the artists and producers they're looking to. It will give accessibility to more people to be creative. If we give them access to more tools like Soundful and BandLab and protect them too, we could create a whole new generation of creatives.
This story will appear in the June 1, 2024 issue Advertising sign.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/music-executives-artificial-intelligence-ai-ethics/