Final week, SoundCloud was accused of updating its phrases of use to permit content material uploaded to the location for use as coaching knowledge for synthetic intelligence (AI). Now, the streaming platform has up to date its AI coverage in its phrases of use, and the corporate’s chief govt, Eliah Seton, has shared an open letter addressing the situation, clarifying the location’s present use of AI, and promising that artist content material will stay unaffected nor used to coach generative AI.
“AI ought to help artists, not exchange them,” wrote Seton in his open letter. “With the panorama altering quickly, if there is a chance to make use of generative AI for the good thing about our human artists, we might make this chance out there to our human artists with their express consent, through an opt-in mechanism. We do not know what we do not know, and now we have a duty to present our human artists the alternatives, selections and management to advance their inventive journeys. We’re making a proper dedication that any use of AI on SoundCloud can be based mostly on consent, transparency, and artist management.”
In his letter, Seton added that SoundCloud up to date its phrases of use in February 2024 to make clear the way it makes use of AI to enhance the location’s suggestions, search, playlisting, content material tagging, and instruments that assist stop fraud. “Our use of AI is targeted on discovery—serving to followers discover new music and serving to artists develop, beginning with their first followers,” wrote Seton. “Extra broadly, we use AI to establish rising expertise, personalize the platform expertise, and help real-time customer support, all designed to help human artists and have interaction actual followers.”
SoundCloud has carried out a collection of generative AI merchandise over the previous yr and a half, every designed to help with music manufacturing and distribution. In 2022, the corporate laid off roughly 20% of its workforce as a result of claims of current financial modifications. AI corporations have been on the receiving finish of a number of lawsuits this decade, too, for infringing on copyrighted works within the coaching of their AI fashions.
Musicians Are Already Utilizing AI Extra Usually Than We Suppose
Supply hyperlink