SOCAN fights a parallel battle in opposition to AI in Canada, urging the federal government to undertake a set of rules that respect music creators when regulating synthetic intelligence.
The Society of Composers, Authors & Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), together with a coalition of music organizations, has written to the Authorities of Canada in regards to the affect of synthetic intelligence on the music trade. The letter supplied suggestions geared toward guaranteeing that AI doesn’t “exchange human creativity and tradition.”
“This letter is step one in setting necessary rules for the Authorities of Canada to think about as they discover the regulatory and copyright coverage framework that may apply to AI programs whereas respecting creators and human expression,” stated Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO.
Whereas the letter acknowledged AI’s potential to help and improve the work of human creators, it emphasised the significance of sustaining the steadiness and coverage objectives of the Copyright Act. That entails fostering human creativity and enabling creators and their representatives to regulate how their works are used and by whom.
The letter outlines three particular considerations in regards to the affect of AI on the music trade:
- The pre-existing inventive works exploited by AI fashions with out consent from or compensation for rights holders
- The chance AI programs pose to the livelihood of human creators
- The chance of AI programs getting used to mimic creators’ voice or likeness with out their information or consent
SOCAN and the organizations who signed the letter advocate that the Canadian Authorities undertake the next set of rules as a part of any AI regulatory or coverage framework:
- Any proposal that weakens or conflicts with the target to guard human expression and copyright ought to be rejected.
- There ought to be no new copyright exceptions that will allow AI builders to make use of creators’ works with out permission to develop AI fashions.
- AI builders should be clear in regards to the particular works exploited by an AI mannequin and the way the works had been sourced and used. Creators should have the ability to establish whether or not their works have been used.
- Builders of AI fashions ought to be required to implement a technique to establish or detect AI-generated content material, and the music trade ought to be inspired to undertake a labeling normal to establish AI-generated music.
- AI builders should acquire permission from creators or their representatives earlier than utilizing their mental property or persona rights, together with voice and likeness.
“We consider the rules outlined in our letter (…) set the inspiration for an efficient course of for AI that may shield music creators by respecting the worth of their extraordinary work,” added Brown. “We hope our efforts will likely be thought-about to make sure the AI mannequin can proceed to evolve and develop responsibly.”
SOCAN can be collaborating within the open session, ending on January 15, 2024, on the implications of generative AI and copyright held by Canadian Heritage and Innovation, Science, and Financial Growth Canada.