As AI voice generators have become more widespread, the music industry has taken a dual approach to the technology — backing state and federal legislation that adds protections for an artist’s voice while identifying tech companies like SoundLab that give artists control over any AI-generated output. On the latter front, UMG has already grown its roster of AI partners since releasing “Noche Buena y Navidad.”
Source: This AI version of a hit Christmas song marks a new era for music
That estimate comes from a new report by U.K.-based research firm Ampere Analysis. The spending across the six companies — Disney, Comcast, Google, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and Paramount Global — will reach a new high in 2024 and account for 51% of the total content spending landscape, up from 47% in 2020, according to Ampere.
Source: Six Biggest Companies to Spend Record $126 Billion on Content in 2024, up 9%, Led by Disney
Adobe is going all in on generative AI models and tools, even if that means turning away creators who dislike the technology. Artists who refuse to embrace AI in their work are “not going to be successful in this new world without using it,” says Alexandru Costin, vice president of generative AI at Adobe. “Our goal is to make our customers successful, and we think that in order for them to be successful, they need to embrace the tech.”
Source: Adobe execs say artists need to embrace AI or get left behind
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has released its official definition of “open” artificial intelligence, setting the stage for a clash with tech giants like Meta — whose models don’t fit the rules. OSI has long set the industry standard for what constitutes open-source software, but AI systems include elements that aren’t covered by conventional licenses, like model training data.
Source: Open-source AI must reveal its training data, per new OSI definition
GEMA has officially revealed some of the details behind its licensing model, including a mandatory fee, for generative AI platforms. Payments should also be made for “all economic benefits that can arise from the subsequent use of AI-generated music,” including in public establishments and on streaming services, because this music resulted from an initial library of protected media, according to GEMA.
Source: GEMA Unveils AI Licensing Model Details, Including Developer Fee
Source: Microsoft’s AI demand under scrutiny as investors seek payday
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in a letter to the News Media Association that his government “recognizes the basic principle” that publishers should seek compensation for the use of their content by artificial intelligence companies. Marking the start of the NMA‘s annual “Journalism Matters” week, the Labour leader said both AI and the media were “central” to the government’s growth goals and he hoped to “rebalance” the relationship between platforms and publishers using the Digital Markets and Consumers Act.
Source: Keir Starmer: AI companies should pay publishers for content
Universal Music Group, led by chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, is teaming up with L.A.-based AI music company Klay Vision on what they described as “a pioneering commercial ethical foundational model for AI-generated music that works in collaboration with the music industry and its creators.” The two companies said that they share “the conviction that state-of-the-art foundational AI models are best built and scaled responsibly through constructive dialogue and consensus.”
Source: Universal Music Strikes Strategic Deal With “Ethical AI Music Company” Klay Vision
One of the assurances we’re often given in responses to the fear that AI image generators could replace human artists is that there will always need to be a human involved. Generative AI needs a human creative to tell it what to do. But don’t tell that to Botto, a fully autonomous ‘AI artist’ who just raked in $351,600 in sales at the auction house Sotheby’s, setting a new milestone in the history of AI art.
Source: Forget AI image generators, an autonomous AI artist just made $351,600 at Sotheby’s
Google’s SynthID text watermarking technology, a tool the company created to make AI-generated text easier to identify, is now available open-source through the Google Responsible Generative AI Toolkit, the company announced on X. Watermarks have become increasingly important tools as large language models are used to spread political misinformation, generate nonconsensual sexual content, and for other malicious purposes.
Source: Google open-sourced its watermarking tool for AI-generated text