ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus, Johnny Cash‘s daughter Rosanne and more have teamed up with YouTube and Universal Music to explore the realms of AI in music.
The ‘Waterloo’ hitmaker admits he wants to know as much as possible about Artificial Intelligence and whether it can be put to good use and how to “protect the rights of my fellow human creators”.
In a statement, Björn said: “While some may find my decision controversial, I’ve joined this group with an open mind and purely out of curiosity about how an AI model works and what it could be capable of in a creative process.
“I believe that the more I understand, the better equipped I’ll be to advocate for and to help protect the rights of my fellow human creators.”
OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, composer Max Richter, Latin star Anitta and Frank Sinatra’s estate are among the others to sign up for the project.
Max commented: “Like every new technology, AI brings with it opportunities, but it also raises profound challenges for the creative community. Therefore, I’m very happy to be part of the ‘artist incubator’ which will allow me to advocate for the interests of the creative community in the applications of AI to music and music distribution.”
Together, they will follow three principles for the partnership, the first being: “AI is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners.”
The second reads: “AI is ushering in a new age of creative expression, but it must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners who decide to participate.”
And lastly, a YouTube blog post read: “We’ve built an industry-leading trust and safety organisation and content policies. We will scale those to meet the challenges of AI.”
Universal Music Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Sir Lucian Grainge believes AI could “enrich musical creativity in extraordinary new ways” but insists there needs to be “the right balance”.
He said: “Our challenge and opportunity as an industry is to establish effective tools, incentives and rewards – as well as rules of the road – that enable us to limit AI’s potential downside while promoting its promising upside.
“If we strike the right balance, I believe AI will amplify human imagination and enrich musical creativity in extraordinary new ways.”
Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Executive Officer added: “I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity of AI to supercharge creativity around the world but recognise that YouTube and the promise of AI will only be successful if our partners are successful. Together, we can embrace this new technology in a way that supports artists, songwriters, producers, and the industry as a whole while driving value for fans and pushing the bounds of what’s creatively possible.
“The principles in our framework – embracing AI, granting protections while unlocking opportunity, and investing in our trust and safety work – provide a strong foundation for YouTube and the music industry to better navigate the world ahead.”