For color images, the widely used RGB (red, green, blue) model can correspond to over 16 million possible colors. So as graphics rendering technology becomes ever more photorealistic, the distinction between pixels captured by real-world cameras and ones rendered in a game engine is falling away.
Source: AI Is Gathering a Growing Amount of Training Data Inside Virtual Worlds
Members of SAG-AFTRA voted to ratify the 2024 Sound Recordings Code with record labels, approving a new contract with AI protections. Under this agreement, the terms “artist,” “singer,” and “royalty artist” only include humans, with “clear and conspicuous consent” alongside minimum compensation requirements and specific details of intended use required prior to the release of a sound recording that uses a digital replication of an artist’s voice.
Source: SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify Major Label AI Protection Agreement
SAG-AFTRA will license Nielsen‘s streaming content data, which the union will to enforce the terms of its 2023 contract with Hollywood studios. Under the deal for Nielsen’s Streaming Content Ratings, SAG-AFTRA will have “an objective source of domestic viewership data for original streaming programming,” the parties announced.
Source: SAG-AFTRA Will Use Nielsen Data as Part of Enforcing Studio Pact on Streaming Content
Today’s big news: Universal Music Group and TikTok, by way of a joint announcement, have confirmed that they have struck a new licensing deal – three months after UMG pulled its recordings catalog from the service. What does this new deal mean for UMG and its artists and songwriters? Standout headline: More money. Reminder: according to Universal, TikTok’s royalty payouts to UMG prior to this new deal constituted just 1% of UMG’s total revenues.
The report calls for the UK to pass new laws that would protect artists’ personalities from being copied by AI without permission; mandate transparent labelling of AI-generated content; and require AI developers to gain permission from copyright holders to use their materials for training, among other things.
Source: UK lawmakers call for AI legislation to protect artists from deepfakes, copyright infringement
Stock photographers who survived the disruptive advent of digital cameras and online sales are bracing themselves for the next great tech shock: generative AI. Some are predicting the worst. “The stock photography industry is going away,” said Connecticut-based photographer Tony Northrup.
Source: The Last Stock Photographers Await Their Fate Under Generative AI
The move signals Reservoir’s ambition to fuel further growth through acquisitions while reducing its debt. The company said it seeks to expand its music publishing and recorded music catalogs by acquiring businesses and assets that complement its existing operations. In February, Reservoir revealed that it had spent$938 million on acquisitions since its inception in 2007 to December 31, 2023.
Source: Reservoir Media plans $100M offering to fund acquisitions, debt repayment
A report published by the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music has called for the government to craft a “pro-creative industries AI Bill” with protection for copyright and creators at its core. That conclusion should come as no surprise given that the report was researched and funded by music industry body UK Music, whose July 2023 position paper on AI had previously set out its wishlist for the government.
Source: UK music report: ‘AI can be a great servant but would be a terrible master’
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hinted that banning TikTok in the European Union is an option, during a debate this evening in Maastricht, featuring parties’ lead candidates for the bloc’s 2024 election. “It is not excluded,” von der Leyen said, after the moderator referred to the United States, where TikTok faces a national ban unless it is sold by its owner, ByteDance.
Source: TikTok ban in EU is ‘not excluded,’ von der Leyen says
British antitrust authorities are reviewing partnerships between tech giants and smaller AI developers, citing concerns about competition. This inquiry could reshape the AI industry’s landscape. Some experts warned that a strict antitrust ruling may not only alter how major corporations interact with emerging AI firms but could also dampen enthusiasm for new partnerships, possibly stalling the pace of innovation.
Source: As British Regulators Scrutinize Microsoft and Amazon AI Deals, Industry Braces for Impact