Australian musicians speak out in favor of AI regulation in the industry
Thousands of Australian musicians have united against the threat of artificial intelligence to human-made music and musicians’ incomes and livelihoods.
A report released today (August 19) by Australian music rights management organisation, APRA AMCOS, outlines the danger technology presents to working human musicians and the detrimental effect it could have on the music and entertainment industries. entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.
A total of 4,200 people contributed to the report, including musical greats Jimmy Barnes, Peter Garrett, Tina Arena, Kate Miller-Heidke, Bernard Fanning, Clare Bowditch, Julian Hamilton and Missy Higgins.
According to the report, 82 percent of musicians are concerned that AI will prevent them from continuing to live in an industry that is already plagued by struggle and low wages.
Additionally, the report says that 23 percent of musicians will see their income threatened by 2028. This together amounts to $519 million.
Dean Ormston, chief executive of APRA AMCOS, said the music industry is currently experiencing the “equivalent of an accelerated industrial revolution”.
“Global forecasts related to generating wealth from Generative AI (GenAI) by 2030 are astronomical, but no major large language modeling (LLM) platform or GenAI service has sought consent or paid for the data used to train platforms and drive GenAI results,” Ormston said.
Unlike previous reports on the danger AI poses to human musicians, the APRA AMCOS report also highlights the danger of cultural appropriation: 89 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and respondents believe that the use of AI in the creative process will lead to an increase in cultural appropriation.
In light of this, almost all (97 percent) of respondents believe policymakers must respond to the threat of AI in music and copyright.
Despite musicians’ misgivings about AI, 54 percent believe the technology could be advantageous in the creative process, while 38 percent already use it when writing and composing music. However, sixty-five percent say the risks posed by AI could outweigh the benefits.
“We now know from this survey that artists are innovative and embracing this incredible new technology; However, the government must implement regulations and policies now to ensure that everyone receives appropriate credit, consent and fair remuneration for any work used on AI platforms,” Ormston said.
“If the use of AI is not regulated or authorized, it will be economically devastating. Creators put their heart and soul into their work, but face the reality of seeing their creations exploited by artificial intelligence platforms.
“We urge the Australian and New Zealand governments to implement EU-style transparency guidelines for technology companies to now disclose content that has been copied and used without permission to build artificial intelligence platforms, with sanctions if non-disclosure. Without this, our industry faces a very bleak future.”
