Artificial Intelligence
Blurring the lines: AI’s role in your art
Imagine the scene in 1826: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce captures the first successful photograph. It’s a moment of technological triumph; yet the art world, steeped in traditional forms like painting and sculpture, is largely oblivious. At the time, the idea of a mechanically produced image being considered ‘art’ was almost heretical to many painters, who saw art as a product of manual skill and creative interpretation.
Fast forward to the present day, and we find ourselves at a similar juncture with AI. Much like those early photographers who faced skepticism for their mechanically produced images, today’s AI-driven artistic endeavors are meeting resistance from traditional art circles. It’s a familiar pattern: new mediums often face initial skepticism before gradually gaining acceptance.
The creative industries are fighting back against UK government proposals to let artificial intelligence companies use copyright-protected work without permission.
The latest protest is a silent album co-written by more than 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, and follows a statement signed by 48,000 creatives including Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus in which they warned of a “major, unjust threat” to artists’ livelihoods.
Artificial Intelligence
Kate Bush, New Order, & Damon Albarn Among 1,000 UK Artists Protesting Government’s AI Stance With A Silent Album
Last week, the UK government proposed a new policy that would allow tech companies to use copyrighted works to train their artificial intelligence algorithms. Under the proposal, artists and companies could opt out of having their material used for AI, but it would otherwise give the companies unfettered access to people’s creative work without having to license anything. The proposal has incited widespread anger in the UK’s arts communities, and now a team of 1,000 British musicians has released a silent protest album called Is This What We Want?
Writers, publishers, musicians, photographers, movie producers and newspapers have rejected the Labour government’s plan to create a copyright exemption to help artificial intelligence companies train their algorithms.
In a joint statement, bodies representing thousands of creatives dismissed the proposal made by ministers on Tuesday that would allow companies such as Open AI, Google and Meta to train their AI systems on published works unless their owners actively opt out.
