In an unprecedented move, over a thousand musicians, including legends like Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, and Annie Lennox, have joined forces to release a silent album titled “Is This What We Want?”. This unique form of protest is aimed at the recent UK government proposal that would allow artificial intelligence companies to use copyrighted music without the creators’ permission.
A Stand for Artistic Integrity
The album features twelve tracks of silence, recorded in dormant music studios and performance spaces, each symbolizing the potential future of a music industry stripped of its voice by AI technologies. The contributing artists, including high-profile names such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, and the family of classical musicians, the Kanneh-Masons, have chosen this silent protest to highlight the dire consequences on their livelihoods and artistic expression.
Ed Newton-Rex, a British composer and former AI executive who initiated the project, criticized the government’s proposal as a direct threat to musicians. “The government’s proposal would hand the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians’ work to outcompete them,” he explained.
The Legal and Ethical Battle Lines
The core issue at hand revolves around the government’s plan to introduce a copyright exemption for AI firms, allowing them to train their algorithms on copyrighted content with an opt-out clause that many see as ineffective and unfair. This move has sparked a broader debate about the balance between technological advancement and copyright protection, drawing criticism from various sectors of the creative industries.
Celebrities and authors like Julianne Moore, Val McDermid, and Richard Osman have also voiced their concerns, indicating a widespread unease about the implications of such legal changes. The controversy extends beyond music to all forms of creative content, including literature, photography, and visual arts, as AI technologies like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion grow increasingly capable of generating human-like content based on existing works.
Industry and Public Reaction
The silent album’s release coincides with the closing of a government consultation on the proposed copyright changes. Other creative sectors have joined the protest, with British newspapers running campaigns under the slogan “Make It Fair” and a collective letter in the Times from 34 leading creatives, including Stephen Fry and Andrew Lloyd Webber, condemning the government’s approach.
Stephen Fry eloquently summed up the creative community’s sentiment: “You don’t promote growth in a garden by allowing all the pests to feast on the fruit and flowers, and you don’t promote growth in an economy by allowing all the AIs to feast on the fruits of our creators.”
Looking Ahead
As the debate continues, the music industry and its allies across the creative sectors stand united in their call for fair treatment in the age of AI. The silent album, available on platforms like Spotify, serves not only as a protest but also as a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to the musicians’ charity Help Musicians.
