Joe GallopUK Music interim chief executive Tom Kiehl has written to Rishi Sunak to urge the Prime Minister to use his AI Safety Summit this week to protect music creators and the sector’s “fragile” talent pipeline.
Ahead of the PM’s two-day global summit, which begins today (November 1) at Bletchley Park, Mr Kiehl outlined the music industry’s concerns about the potential impact that the rapid advance of AI could have on the UK music sector.
It follows warnings from UK Music of the risk that AI firms take part in “music laundering” creators by using their creative talents without payment or getting their consent to use it.
Kiehl said, “We note the impact of AI on the UK music industry – despite the multi-billion-pound annual contribution to the UK economy by our sector, which provides jobs for over 200,000 people – is not explicitly on the agenda at this summit.
“Given the significant cultural influence of music and artists on the public, our concerns are not purely limited to economic and creative impacts. Our issues overlap with how society safeguards democratic freedom, as well as protects against the spread of misinformation and consumer harm.
“While we understand the need to look at the coming opportunities and threats that AI poses, there is an urgent need to address the clear and present threat that generative AI poses to the creative industries and to our members’ livelihoods.”