Hundreds of musicians have joined with the Artist Rights Alliance (ARA) non-profit to condemn the overreach of artificial intelligence.
In an open letter published Monday on Medium and penned by dozens of well-known musicians within the ARA, the group urges “AI developers, technology companies, platforms, and digital music services to cease the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.”
The letter features signatures from more than 200 people in the industry, including Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Metro Boomin, Katy Perry, J Balvin, Ja Rule, Jadakiss, Chuck D, Benny the Butcher, Hit-Boy, Dave East, Tech N9ne, Zayn Malik, Camila Cabello, Jonas Brothers, d4vd, Doechii, Jon Batiste, Jon Bon Jovi, Kacey Musgraves, Finneas, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam, Smoky Robinson, Imagine Dragons, and the estates of Frank Sinatra and Bob Marley.
The Artist Rights Alliance goes on to argue that some platforms and AI developers are using the technology "to sabotage creativity and undermine artists, songwriters, musicians and rights holders."
As the ARA lays out in its note, artists are seeking to “protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”
Jen Jacobsen, executive director at the Artist Rights Alliance, said in a statement that AI poses a significant threat to the entire music industry.
“Working musicians are already struggling to make ends meet in the streaming world, and now they have the added burden of trying to compete with a deluge of AI-generated noise,” Jacobsen said. "The unethical use of generative AI to replace human artists will devalue the entire music ecosystem—for artists and fans alike."
Read the full letter signed by over 200 artists and music industry veterans here.
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