Through an integration with the GenAI music app Suno, Microsoft's Copilot users can now generate complete songs (including lyrics and instrumentals) from simple prompts. This new feature, announced on the , will make music creation accessible to those who can describe what they feel, but don't have the musical abilities to realize their creations without production help.
The ethical and legal dimensions of AI-generated music are fraught with complexity. While AI models can theoretically create music based on rules without using existing works, most commercially used models are trained on vast libraries of recorded music. This raises issues: a significant portion of popular music is copyrighted, even though the underlying compositions might be in the public domain. Moreover, while public domain music itself isn't subject to copyright, the recordings of these compositions often are, adding another layer to the legal intricacies.
The law is unclear on all of this, and there are passionate opinions on all sides of the issue.
Suno's approach is notable. While it allows users to generate music in the style of specific artists, it claims to block certain prompts and prevent the creation of covers from existing lyrics. However, Suno does not disclose the sources of its AI training data, nor does it completely address the broader ethical and legal questions surrounding AI in music.
Recorded music companies have been actively working to legally protect their intellectual property rights, leading to a shift in how GenAI tool creators distribute their content, often moving to less regulated platforms. Legislatively, a new Senate bill proposes to give artists legal recourse against unauthorized use of their digital likenesses or musical styles. This bill could also play a crucial role in defining the legal framework for AI-generated music.
Microsoft's collaboration with Suno is going to help popularize AI-assisted music creation, but it also highlights the ongoing debate over the ethical use and legal status of AI in the arts. For now, we'll have to wait for lawmakers to balance innovation with the protection of creators' rights.
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ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
