Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence comes with opportunities as well as risks and challenges for music authors. As the music sector is increasingly using AI related technologies in various ways, ECSA wishes to ensure that music creators and their rights are protected in further policy initiatives on this matter.
EU AI Act
On 26 September 2023, 13 authors’, performers’ and other creative workers’ organisations, including ECSA, published a joint statement on the draft EU AI Act. The statement urgently calls for a human centric approach to generative AI, built upon informed consent, transparency, fair remuneration and contractual practices.
Open letter to policy makers
On 20 July 2023, ECSA co-signed an open letter to policy makers on AI with various organisations, together representing over 6 million artists, creators, performers and publishers globally. In the letter, we call upon governments and decision makers to commit to developing and adopting legislation that is consistent with seven key principles. These principles include: 1) the protection of creators’ and performers’ rights when exploited by AI systems; 2) enabling and supporting licensing; 3) avoiding exceptions for text and data mining which do not provide for effective opt-out by rightsholders; 4) crediting in a just manner; 5) establishing transparency obligations; 6) legal responsibility for AI operators; and 7) the distinction between AI and human-created works.
Human Artistry Campaign
In March 2023, ECSA joined the Human Artistry Campaign, launched to advocate for AI use that supports artists, performers and all creatives. Learn more about the core principles for AI applications in support of human creativity, and join us in supporting the campaign.
Working Group on Technology and Artificial Intelligence
In this new digital and technological era of the music industry, it is important to stay up to date with emerging technologies and to realize which of these could become innovations within the music industry. This is why ECSA, in 2022, has created a Technology and Artificial Intelligence (Tech and AI) Working Group. The Working Group aims at identifying new and relevant technologies and online services which have or will have an impact on musical diversity and the remuneration of music authors.