Photo: iStockphoto.com/ipopba
Open letter to the world's governments and policymakers:
There is an urgent need to establish global rules to strengthen human creativity in the face of artificial intelligence. That is the main message of an open letter to the world's governments and policymakers from 13 international umbrella organizations, representing 6 million composers, songwriters, music publishers, musicians, photographers, visual artists and other artist groups. In the letter, they launch seven principles that will help ensure the fair use of copyright in the use of AI.
/ 29/08/2023 / Kristian DugstadPhoto: istockphoto.com/ipopba
The text below is translated from the original letter which can be read on the CISAC website: https://www.cisac.org/Newsroom/articles/global-creators-and-performers-demand-creative-rights-ai-proliferation
With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, it is crucial that artists, performers, creators and performers are respected, that human creativity is protected, that copyright rules remain robust, and that fair licensing schemes are developed. Solutions must be established worldwide that will ensure that AI companies financially compensate artists, performers, creators and performers when their works are used by AI companies.
People working in the cultural and creative sectors are among those who will be affected by the uncontrolled development and open use of generative AI models. Policymakers around the world are confronted with worrying reports from creators and performers who find their copyrighted works and performances used to train artificial intelligence without their permission, without payment and without acknowledgement, often under the guise of “research”. Furthermore, there is a public unease around AI-generated works, especially when they are presented as the result of human creativity.
The cultural sector and the international creative community recognize that artificial intelligence is used for a number of useful and important purposes. It is, and will become, a tool for the creation and use of music. When it comes to generative AI However, there is a need for urgent action from policymakers around the world. Works that infringe copyright, whether based on artificial intelligence trained on protected works or on non-consensual voices, are already spreading rapidly. Existing regulatory regimes need to be improved and adapted to the new situation. The cultural sector and the international creative community must be at the table in such discussions to ensure that their interests are taken into account and that AI companies can become open, ethical, fair and comply with the law.
Read TONO's press release about the open letter here: "Desperate need for AI regulation"
The organizations signing this open letter represent more than six million artists, performers, creators, performers and publishers across a wide range of art forms from all corners of the world. TONO is a member of one of them, CISAC, and through this letter we and the rest of this international community of artists and cultural organizations call on governments and policymakers around the world to commit to developing and adopting policies and legislation in line with the following seven principles.
AI companies must, under ordinary copyright principles, request permission to use musical and other artistic works before exploiting them. The creators must be able to allow, restrict or prohibit use. They must also be compensated when works are exploited.
All AI systems will need to use licensing solutions for all uses of copyrighted works, performances and data. This will facilitate open exchange between the companies that need content, and the creators and performers who want to understand how and to what extent their works will be used.
Copyright exceptions that allow AI systems to exploit copyrighted content must be avoided. This includes Text and Data Mining. Some existing exceptions should be clarified to provide legal clarity for creators and performers, as well as for AI systems that wish to benefit from such data.
Creators and performers should be recognized and credited when their works and performances are exploited by AI systems.
Legal requirements must be established for the disclosure of information on the use of creative works/performances in a way that allows for traceability and licensing, as well as the identification of works and performances generated by AI systems. This will ensure fair governance for creators, performers and users of creative content.
Legal requirements must be established for AI companies to retain relevant documentation, and they must be held accountable for activities and results that infringe the rights of creators, performers, and rights holders.
It is important that AI models are defined as, and considered as, a tool to serve human creativity. Fully autonomous AI-generated works cannot have the same level of protection as works created by humans.
Signatory organizations:
Read the petition on the website of CISAC, the international umbrella organization for collective management societies: https://www.cisac.org/Newsroom/articles/global-creators-and-performers-demand-creative-rights-ai-proliferation