YouTube has partnered with Universal Music Group to address copyright issues surrounding AI-generated songs. The collaboration aims to foster innovation in artificial intelligence projects while also protecting the rights of artists. The decision comes in response to the viral popularity of songs featuring AI versions of popular singers like Drake, Kanye West, and Frank Sinatra, which raised questions about copyright laws and who should be compensated for the use of AI-derived music.
The partnership will involve YouTube’s engineers and artists working together in an incubator to develop new AI tools. Additionally, they plan to expand the use of YouTube’s Content ID system to cover generated content, which likely refers to the detection and payment of AI-generated voices of famous artists on the platform.
One of the main challenges in addressing AI-related copyright strikes on YouTube is the lack of established laws for this specific issue. While voices themselves cannot be copyrighted, there may be potential claims related to state-level rights of publicity or trademarks. However, these aspects are largely untested in the context of AI-generated music. Consequently, YouTube is taking matters into its own hands by creating a private right of likeness specifically for music labels. This new right aims to detect AI-generated songs and ensure that the appropriate parties, such as Universal, are compensated. However, questions remain about how accurately these songs can be detected, what the error rate might be, and how the new right of likeness will impact creators who imitate famous artists.
While the virality of AI-generated content on YouTube can help track and identify instances of copyright infringement, YouTube’s Content ID system functions across the platform at scale, irrespective of the viewership of a video. Content ID can detect copyrighted music in the background of any video and provide options for the copyright holders, such as removing the video or monetizing it through the inclusion of ads. This system represents a truce between YouTube and music labels after years of litigation, preventing cases such as labels suing parents for featuring copyrighted music in videos of their children. YouTube’s system offers a compromise where labels receive a share of advertising revenue rather than pursuing legal action against users.
The concerns surrounding this YouTube and Universal Music partnership lie in the extension of copyright law in a privately created manner solely for the benefit of music companies. As copyright law plays a significant role in regulating speech on the internet, any expansion of this law without legislative, judicial, or jury involvement raises concerns. The potential creation of copyright-safe tools for using the voices of Universal artists, allowing artists to get paid while ensuring copyright compliance, may inspire more people to create art. However, the absence of a legal answer regarding the fair use of AI clones of famous voices necessitates caution, as YouTube’s preemptive stance could overshadow the need for a nuanced legal resolution.
YouTube was approached for comment but did not respond before the deadline.
To foster a greater understanding of the implications of AI-generated music, it’s worth revisiting a previous conversation with Dan Runcie, founder of media research firm Trapital. Runcie emphasized that embracing AI-generated music instead of solely removing it could lower entry barriers for independent music producers.
