Sony went to war with artificial intelligence

Sony Music has announced that in countering fake content produced by artificial intelligence, it has removed more than 2.5 pieces of music, including the voice of famous artists such as Harry Styles, Queen and Beyoncée, from digital platforms.

The company, one of the three main giants of the music industry, has provided the statistics in response to the British government’s consultation on reforming copyright laws. Sony has expressed concern over the government’s proposal that permits free use of artistic content to teach artificial intelligence models and has considered it a threat to artists and music industry.

The wave of protests against new copyright policies

Sony officials have warned that the discovered music diplies are just a small portion of the fake content available on the Internet, as detecting and removing them requires manual checking services. Artificial intelligence companies can now easily simulate artists’ voices and produce fake versions of music, which Sony says has caused direct commercial damage to real artists.

The British government is trying to make the country a center of development of artificial intelligence startups by liberating copyright laws. But the proposal has faced a wave of protests by artists, publishers, filmmakers and the media. Critics believe that this project will put a heavy administrative burden on artists, as they must constantly defend their rights against unauthorized use of their work.

In its official response to the government, Sony has called the changes “accelerated, unbalanced and irreversible” and emphasized that “copyright is a right, not a rules.” The company believes that the government should support the current model that requires artificial intelligence companies to pay for artistic content instead of weakening existing laws.

What will be the fate of new rules?

With the pressure of the music industry and other creative sectors, it is still unclear whether the British government will review its policies. However, the ministers have announced that they are still ready to hear different opinions to make a balance between the development of artificial intelligence technology and the support of the creative industries.