Nearly 200 Music Artists Demand Halt to Harmful AI Practices
A coalition of top musicians, including Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj, signs an open letter demanding that AI developers stop using their work without permission to create copycat tracks.
The Artists Rights Alliance, supported by nearly 200 music artists including Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry, releases an open letter urging digital music developers to stop using artificial intelligence to infringe upon human artists' rights. The coalition speaks out against the unauthorized use of musical works to train AI models that produce soundalike "copycats" and dilute royalty obligations for the original creators.
Executive director Jen Jacobsen highlights that working musicians already struggle to earn a living in the streaming era, and the rise of AI-generated noise makes this financial burden even worse. The group argues that the unethical use of generative AI to replace human creators severely devalues the entire music ecosystem for both the artists and their fans.
While the letter acknowledges that AI holds enormous potential to advance human creativity when used responsibly, it condemns platforms that employ the technology to sabotage creativity and undermine rightsholders. High-profile signatories such as Sam Smith, Jon Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, and R.E.M. join the call to protect the future of the music industry from unregulated AI exploitation.