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UK Music signs up to the Human Artistry Campaign
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 27 April 2023
Yesterday was World Intellectual Property Day, so I’m sure you’re all recovering this morning from some big old IP parties. Those happened right?
UK Music – the cross-sector trade group for the music industry – marked the occasion by signing up to the Human Artistry Campaign, which sets out various principles and priorities around all things generative AI and music.
Initially led by the US music industry and launched at South By Southwest last month, an increasing number of organisations beyond the US and beyond music have since come on board.
Although keen to also recognise the positive impact generative AI is having and will have on the music industry, the campaign sets out various concerns around copyright and transparency issues created by AI.
That includes an insistence lawmakers must not provide AI makers with copyright exceptions that allow them to train their technologies with existing music without licence. That’s something UK Music has campaigned on quite a bit recently after the UK government proposed such an exception – a proposal that has since been put on hold pending a rethink.
Says UK Music boss Jamie Njoku-Goodwin: “The AI revolution will have a transformative impact on the music industry – our task is to meet the huge challenges it presents in some areas, while making the most of the potential opportunities it could offer in others”.
“As we navigate these issues”, he adds, “it’s vital that our approach is underpinned by clear and consistent principles, not just here in the UK but globally. So we are delighted to sign up to the Human Artistry Campaign, which sets out core principles for how we ensure AI technologies are developed in a way that supports human culture and artistry rather than eroding it”.
“The challenges presented by AI exist on a global level – and so joining this international coalition is an important step towards ensuring we can grow the AI sector in a responsible way, while also respecting creator rights and supporting human creativity”.
“The UK has a world-leading music industry, and our global success is down to the strong copyright and IP frameworks we have in place”, he concludes. “Developments in AI should not change that – and so on World Intellectual Property Day, it’s important to recognise the importance of our IP framework and renew our commitment to the strongest copyright protections possible”.
