The "Stealing Copyrighted Songs to Train AI" Thing is Way Worse Than We Thought

The International Confederation of Music Publishers has uncovered extensive, unauthorized use of copyrighted music by major technology firms to train generative AI models. This systematic harvesting of creative works from prominent artists occurs on a global scale without licensing or compensation, representing a massive infringement of intellectual property rights. The evidence highlights a deliberate disregard for legal frameworks, as companies aggregate millions of songs from various sources to fuel their commercial AI products. This practice threatens the economic viability and creative incentives of the music industry by undermining existing royalty streams and displacing human lyricists. By utilizing trained algorithms to replicate artistic styles at high speed and low cost, these technologies risk devaluing original human creativity. The core mission of copyright law—to encourage new art—is being eroded as corporations prioritize efficiency and economy over ethical engagement with creators’ rights. This article is critical to open data discussions as it exposes the hidden, often unacknowledged dependencies of AI systems on proprietary datasets. It challenges the narrative that open or public data is freely usable without ethical consideration, highlighting the tension between data transparency for research and the protection of individual rights. Understanding these violations is essential for developing responsible data governance standards that respect intellectual property while allowing technological innovation.

Source: vice.com
Published on 2025-09-04

The "Stealing Copyrighted Songs to Train AI" Thing is Way Worse Than We Thought

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