Spotify to collaborate to develop ‘responsible AI products’

Spotify (SPOT) stated in a post to its corporate site: “AI technology is advancing quickly, bringing both new creative possibilities and challenges for the music industry. It’s critical for the music industry to join forces and act together to protect creativity while enabling innovation. Stamping out the worst outcomes of Gen AI is an essential piece of the puzzle. Last month, we shared steps we’re taking to stamp out spam, impersonation, and deception in the age of AI. We’ve also been hearing consistently from artists and their teams that emerging AI music products often don’t feel like they’re built to power their careers, their businesses, and their fan bases. Too frequently, they feel like short-term experiments built to compete with them, rather than long-term solutions designed to serve artists. That’s why Spotify’s focus has been on utilizing Gen AI technology to power features that connect fans and artists, like our AI DJ, personalized daylist, or AI Playlist, which help listeners discover their next favorite artists in new ways. Today, we’re announcing plans to collaborate with Sony (SONY) Music Group, Universal Music Group (UMGNF), Warner Music (WMG) Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop responsible AI products that empower the artists and songwriters they represent, and connect them with the fans who support them. (We hope to bring on additional rightsholders and distributors over time.) Some voices in the tech industry believe copyright should be abolished. We don’t. Musicians’ rights matter. Copyright is essential. If the music industry doesn’t lead in this moment, AI-powered innovation will happen elsewhere, without rights, consent, or compensation. Together with rightsholders, artists, and songwriters, we are making significant investments in AI research and product development.”