Miranda Lambert, Billie Eilish, and Nicki Minaj advocate for artists’ rights in letter to AI developers
Over 200 prominent figures in the music industry, including Stevie Wonder, Miranda Lambert, Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Peter Frampton, Katy Perry, Smokey Robinson, and J Balvin, have joined forces to address the growing concern over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music. In a letter penned by the Artist Rights Alliance, a non-profit organization advocating for musicians’ rights in the digital age, these artists are urging AI tech companies, developers, and digital music platforms to respect and protect the rights of human artists.
While acknowledging the innovative potential of AI technology in the creative realm, the letter highlights the risks it poses to human artistry. One significant concern raised is the unauthorized use of existing works to train AI models, which could potentially lead to the replication of artists’ voices and likenesses without their consent. This practice not only undermines artists’ rights but also diminishes the royalty pools that compensate them for their creative output.
The letter emphatically asserts the need to halt this encroachment on human creativity, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding against the predatory use of AI to usurp artists’ voices, violate their rights, and disrupt the music ecosystem. It calls for collective action to combat this threat and preserve the integrity of artistic expression.
The passage of legislation in Tennessee, known as the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act or “ELVIS Act,” marks a significant step in protecting musicians from the potential harms of AI technology. This law aims to prevent generative AI tools from replicating artists’ voices without their explicit consent, reinforcing the notion that artists’ intellectual property and uniqueness must be safeguarded in the face of technological advancements.
The voices behind this letter and the legislative action in Tennessee reflect a unified commitment to upholding artists’ rights and ensuring their continued empowerment in an increasingly digitized music industry landscape. It underscores the crucial role of advocacy and legislation in navigating the intersection of artistry and technology while preserving the essence of human creativity.
