Google and YouTube Are Trying to Have It Both Ways with AI and Copyright

The progress of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is jaw-dropping, with many technological advancements that have taken every industry by storm. There is not a single industry with no intervention from AI which can be labelled as both a positive as well as a negative move for that industry. 

AI has strengthened its feet in education, healthcare, entertainment, and music. It has a robust impact on the user experience of every genre, making AI a revolutionary technological system. Alongside its positive impacts on the market, AI has warned artists and music producers about the power it possesses, thanks to its Deep Learning (DL) and other top-notch technologies. 

People are creating popular music tracks in their favourite artists’ voices, signalling expensive and renowned music label owners about its consequences. Hollywood writers and producers have recorded a massive protest against AI recently. You can visit here to learn more about the protest. Are these events reflecting the future of AI in various industries? Let’s find out. 

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Generative AI and Copyright Concerns

Thanks to its user-friendly and excellent performance, the sparks of generative AI can be seen everywhere. Digital tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney AI, etc., have contributed widely to the creation of unique and quick content for the past few years. The best thing about these tools is that they have access to the data online, and their crawling speed is giant. 

In April 2023, an artist, Ghostwriter977, used generative AI to generate a song track, Heart on My Sleeve. The artist used an AI-generated Drake voice for the song, making it an overnight success on various music platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, etc. Universal Music Group (UMG) – A music label with affiliation from numerous robust artists, including Drake, has come to the table in talks with music streaming platforms to take down such content. 

Apple Music and Spotify initiated taking down the music from their platforms, but YouTube is an open platform, and taking it down needs compliance with certain policies. Preferably, the copyright infringement policy handles such content. 

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YouTube and Google About Generative AI

YouTube needs a policy violation at a user end to take down their content, and the generated soundtrack was not even close to it. The reason is the unique song, but Drake’s voice and vocals don’t get copyrighted. UMG came to the table in a discussion with YouTube about the matter, pointing out a copyrighted tag, the Metro Boomin producer tag, that was there in the song. 

As Google owns YouTube, it can’t function with such policies because Google also has its generative AI, Google Bard, which trains on the free database of Google without users’ consent. It becomes a messy situation for YouTube and Google to cope with the music giant UMG. They can’t function lucratively without the investments of these expensive companies. 

Consequently, YouTube made a deal with UMG about handling such activities on the renowned video platform. The deal clarified the introduction of a new feature on YouTube, Content ID. This feature will work under a new technology – YouTube Music AI Incubator, to fight off the unethical use of AI in the music industry. 

Music Labels and Production About Generative AI

Music labels like UMG pay huge amounts to artists and music teams to create soundtracks that go viral online. Having an AI alternative to the current music production will affect their business model. They will never allow it to happen, making them ask for new policies and regulations to control such activities on the internet. 

Generative AI is a negative thing according to producers and empire owners in the music industry, but artists and other creative people love this new form of technology. Even a UMG artist, Ryan Tedder, gladly used generative AI, Google Bard, for a sad beat on a rainy day. On the other hand, music labels want royalty for everything related to them. 

According to these giant music companies, generative AI feeds on their data without paying them, exploiting their intellectual property in a variety of ways. AI companies must seek permission to use the intellectual property to avoid violation of copyright laws and benefit artists and creative companies, narrated by Michael Nash, UMG’s Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy. 

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Generative AI – Public Perspective

Generative AI is a game-changer for the public and music enthusiasts as it can offer plenty of fast content based on your desired fantasy. It has the ability to create a song as per your preferred qualities and sing that song to your favourite artist. It can be fun and lucrative simultaneously as voices do not come under copyright violation. 

However, the new “Content ID” feature will limit users from using any AI-driven content for commercial use, ruining your fantasies. On the flip side, YouTube will demand royalty for the original content to pay the actual artists and become deep pockets for the public. If you fail to pay the royalty, the AI-generated content will be taken down from the platform. 

It may seem cruel, but YouTube can never make room for these massive music brands to withdraw their investments from the platform as it will bring them down to the ground. Simply put, YouTube and Google are making ways to sort it out together with AI and copyright at the same time without realising the impacts on the public. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Write a Song with ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is the best AI-powered chatbot with the ability to create content of your choice on the go. You can use it to write a track of your choice with a clear prompt. You can sing the generated song yourself or use other AI tools to sing it for you. 

Will Generative AI Replace Creative Artists?

AI can never replace creative artists as it works based on the available data it gets. The data comes from the artists and their work, limiting generative AI to the presence of creative artists and their work. 

Does YouTube Use AI?

YouTube has an in-built AI system that recommends content to users on the basis of their preferences and history. This AI feature is the most lucrative feature of YouTube and other platforms, like Netflix that keeps users engaged for longer.