New AI Framework Aims to Secure Creator Rights and Pay

The Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) has published its ‘AI Principles’ which, it contends, will help protect creators as GenAI technology continues to develop.

The principles:

• AI developers must obtain “explicit authorization” from rightsholders before using their music to train AI models.

• They should provide “fair compensation and transparent accreditation” in the process.

• AI-specific clauses should be inserted into all creator and rightsholder contracts to “ensure proper authorization and compensation,” as existing contracts are unlikely to contain such clauses.

• Creators should retain moral and usage rights over their work, with the right to reject requests for their music to be used for AI training.

What they said:

• AFEM Co-Chair Kurosh Nasseri (as per Music Ally): “The problem with GenAI has been that all involved are operating in the absence of a generally-agreed framework for what is acceptable and what is not. By formulating a simple set of core principles which define the parameters of acceptable GenAI operations, we will create the environment in which this new technology can flourish without violating the rights of creators and rightsholders of existing copyrights.”