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MU General Secretary at 10 Downing Street to Discuss Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Musicians

Add your voice to the union's call: write to your label, publisher or both stating that your consent is required for use by artificial intelligence software to generate music.

Published: 04 September 2023 | 12:11 PM Updated: 04 September 2023 | 4:13 PM
Naomi Pohl standing outside of number 10 Downing Street, after of discussing AI and its impact on music.
We must take rapid action and we are lobbying the Government to ensure the law keeps pace with technological change. Image credit: The MU ©

Musicians’ Union General Secretary Naomi Pohl is attending a meeting in Downing Street to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in music.

The union is pushing for copyright law to be upheld in relation to artificial intelligence, and for new rights to be introduced that will protect musicians and music creators from any unauthorised use of their works and performances.

These issues will be discussed at today’s meeting at Number 10, as part of UK Music's AI delegation.

Be sure your voice is heard

Your consent should be sought individually before your music is used to train AI technology.

The MU and the Council of Music Makers (CMM) are calling on musicians to write to their label, publisher or both stating that you expect your consent to be sought for any AI related uses.

Write to your label and/or publisher using this template letter.

Major tech firms should need permission before using your music to train their AI

MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl says:

"Our main concern is around generative AI which can create 'new' music. In order to do so, it needs to ingest existing musical content, look at patterns and then create new works based on what it has 'learned'.

"Some major tech firms developing and using AI systems claim that this is not copyright infringement and therefore that they don't need permission or to pay for the content they ingest. We disagree.

"Consent should be sought individually from the people who make the music before their music is used to train AI technology.

"The MU is also concerned about the growth of deep fakes and what this means for individual artists, whose likenesses may be used and who may then be misrepresented in the media.

"Government must take rapid action and we are lobbying Number 10, the government and opposition parties to ensure the law keeps pace with technological change."

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