Almost daily, we read about a debate between tech companies and the creative sector over the future of artificial intelligence (AI). That is nothing new: the discussion on technology and intellectual property (IP) has often been framed as a binary choice between the two. Yet history shows us that this is a false dichotomy. As the music industry has consistently demonstrated, there is a robust and positive synergy between technological progress and respect for IP.
For more than a century, technological evolution has defined how artists and fans connect with the music industry. Today, AI presents entirely new ways of boosting creativity and imagining new business models. Its emergence, however, brings with it significant challenges.
Many artists are seeing their work taken to train AI models and generate new competing content without their consent, without credit and without compensation. In addition, their voices and likenesses are being misappropriated to create deepfakes. That seriously hampers their ability to earn a living and denies them control over their own artistic identity. Artists’ unique voices and images go to the very heart of who they are as performers. At Sony Music, as a company that invests heavily in human talent, we are committed to protecting their work and creativity from misuse arising from the utilization of AI.
At Sony Music, we have issued more than 75,000 takedown notices to protect our artists from deepfakes and AI covers.
Music is one of humanity’s most precious inventions. It connects us emotionally, inspires innovation and drives culture. Advances in recorded music – from LP records to the Sony Walkman, compact discs, iPods and music streaming – have constantly disrupted the music ecosystem. Each technological leap, however, was underpinned by partnerships between record labels and tech companies that provided new experiences for fans while respecting artists’ creativity.
We now face a new frontier with the AI revolution, powered at its core by the synthesis and analysis of centuries of human knowledge and creativity. Although AI models depend entirely upon human thinking and ideas for their capabilities, some AI companies are seeking to convince governments that they should be allowed to take all human creativity for free. Their aim is to use that 'data' to generate new content that competes with legitimate content on existing consumer services , but without their primary cost of business, paying creators. This would represent an unprecedented and unjustifiable market distortion. We believe that there is a better, more sustainable approach, rooted in mutual respect and collaboration.
There is nothing fair about secretly taking other people’s work, without their consent, to develop products that can put them out of business.
Our vision for the future of AI is one built on innovative commercial partnerships between creative businesses and AI developers. Such partnerships must respect a few key principles.
The first is the principle of consent and compensation. AI developers must seek permission before using an artist’s work for training or cloning. They should not be allowed to hoover up for their own benefit any creative work they can find online that has not been security-tagged by the creator. Such “opt-out” systems are unfair in principle and unworkable in practice. Rewarding creators fairly for their contributions will encourage sustained investment in the creation of new culture, which in turn will drive consumers to engage with technology.
Attribution is another foundational principle. AI systems must track and credit the works on which they rely, ensuring that creators are properly acknowledged as well as compensated.
Finally, there is transparency. Users should be informed when content or interactions are AI-generated. That will foster clarity and trust.
Those principles are the basis for a sustainable ecosystem that benefits technology and creators, just as similar commercial partnerships unleashed 15 years of consistent innovation and growth from music streaming.
At Sony Music, we have already embraced those principles in ethical AI initiatives and are involved in multiple negotiations to license IP to AI developers. Whenever we do so, we will share AI revenues fairly with artists, as we do for other digital formats.
For example, fans of The Orb and David Gilmour were empowered to use generative AI to create their own audio and artwork remixes from the album Metallic Spheres. In other projects, AI has been used to change artists’ images in music videos.
Unfortunately, for the time being, such responsible uses of AI remain exceptions. Many AI developers train their models on copyrighted content without permission or compensation. Some argue that this constitutes fair use, but there is nothing fair about secretly taking other people’s work, without their consent, to develop commercial products that don’t share with the creators who make the original product.
Moreover, to do so is unwise: innovation in AI will require a constant pipeline of original new human content for AI outputs to remain relevant and engaging. It is the blend of cultural and technological innovation that will deliver success.
For now, a pressing issue dominates AI’s impact on music: unauthorized vocal cloning, AI-generated deepfake recordings, and misappropriate artists’ voices. Such “recordings” confuse fans and distort artists’ identities and reputations. At Sony Music, we have issued more than 75,000 takedown notices to protect our artists from such deepfakes and unauthorized AI covers, but they are often removed slowly by streaming platforms, if at all.
Laws should clearly reaffirm that using copyrighted content to train AI systems requires a license.
Time is of the essence. Generative AI, including music generation and photorealistic video, is developing rapidly. Encouragingly, a commercial market for AI partnerships is gathering pace, but its development is tempered by many AI companies still betting on being able to take content for free.
The music industry’s success with online streaming – fueled by clear rights frameworks and licensing agreements – offers a valuable blueprint for a balanced, win-win outcome. Today, over 750 million paid subscribers worldwide enjoy on-demand access to vast music libraries for affordable prices, benefiting creators, the tech sector and consumers alike.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) plays a critical role in framing global AI policies that harmonize IP rights with technological innovation. Strong IP protections can work alongside free-market innovation to ensure that AI serves humanity, not the other way around.
Together, by encouraging commercial partnerships between AI developers and IP rights holders, we can build an ecosystem where technology amplifies human creativity rather than replacing it – protecting our shared culture and ensuring a sustainable future for creators and innovators worldwide.
The IP and Frontier Technologies section regularly organizes the WIPO Conversation, an open forum to discuss the impact of frontier technologies on all IP rights and to bridge the existing information gap in this fast moving and complex field.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of WIPO or its Member States .
