Sir Lucian Grainge, the Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, has penned an op-ed for The Times calling for “appropriate guardrails” on AI technology.
The UMG boss’s missive comes amid controversy over the British Labour government’s proposed changes to copyright laws, part of an effort to make the UK competitive in AI development.
Among the changes is a proposal to create an “opt-out” system for the use of copyrighted works in training AI.
That proposal – similar to one adopted as part of the European Union’s comprehensive AI law – would allow AI developers to use copyrighted content by default, unless a rightsholder expressly states that they object.
That rule “revers[es] the very principle of copyright law,” said Ed Newton-Rex, founder of ethical AI certification non-profit Fairly Trained, and organizer of the “Silent Album” release earlier this week.
More than 1,000 artists, including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox, collaborated on the silent album as a protest against the UK’s proposed changes.
In his Times column, Grainge called the silent album protest “a warning against the impact of unchecked AI on the creative arts,” and said it asks “hard” questions.
“How do we best protect creative and imaginative invention, and harness the power of new technology without that technology harnessing us? How do we best protect the incentives that reward creative people for their labour and genius? And who wins or loses if we change the rules of the game?”
Grainge stressed that he isn’t opposed to AI technology as such, or even its involvement in music.
“By no means am I suggesting that AI is intrinsically negative. This extraordinary technology holds the potential to revolutionise scientific and medical research, enhance artistic creativity and make contributions to countless other areas that could materially improve our lives,” he wrote.
“But technology itself can never know right from wrong; it is a tool to help us, to enrich us, yes, but only if we guide it with appropriate guardrails. The choices we make about AI now — ethical, legal and technological — will reverberate for decades to come.”
“The choices we make about AI now — ethical, legal and technological — will reverberate for decades to come.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group
Grainge highlighted that “change is a constant” in the music industry. “During my long career, we have gone from vinyl to cassette to CD to MP3s to ad-funded streaming to subscriptions… But throughout all these innovations and disruptions one truth has remained constant: great music always flows from human creativity. This truth should continue to guide us, even in the age of AI.”
Last week, Grainge joined Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl in a Daily Mail-led campaign against the copyright changes.
Earlier this week, a news report from the Guardian suggested that the music company bosses’ campaign, and the silent album protest, may have had an impact on the plans being put forward by the government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The government is said to be considering changes to its proposals that would limit or eliminate the “opt-out” principle. One option, the Guardian reported, would be to limit the “opt-out” clause UK AI developers alone. AI companies in the US and elsewhere would need permission in advance to use copyrighted materials for training.
Another option would be to allow creative industries to opt out of AI training by default, but would allow mass media, such as newspapers and TV, to be used in training AI by default, the Guardian reported.
Pressure on the government is coming from inside Parliament as well.
The heads of two parliamentary groups – the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee – sent a letter to cabinet ministers this week, urging the government to change focus from loosening copyright rules, to ensuring greater transparency by AI companies in the materials they use to train their models.
Grainge concluded his Times column by noting that “Ingenuity has always been one of the UK’s superpowers, from the steam engines that powered the Industrial Revolution to the Beatles who shaped global culture through music”.
He also added that “’progress” is “never inevitable and technologies do go awry, usually due to unforeseen consequences, the abdication of moral responsibility or a failure of leaders to establish reasonable public safeguards”.
Added Grainge: “AI will transform society, but how it transforms society is up to us. That’s why governments, industries and creators must work in harmony, seeking fairness and compromise to chart a path toward responsible AI.”Music Business Worldwide
