Artists Unite With An Open Letter Looking to Change A.I. Use in Music

By Matthew Gray

From singers like the Beatles to more modern performers like Drake, A.I. has found ways to replicate the voices of singers to make them perform music new and old.

But now, an expansive list of well-known artists from all corners of the music industry have signed off on an open letter calling for more thoughtful use of A.I. in music.

Over 200 singers have come together to fight the misuse of A.I. within their industry. The list includes names such as Nicki Minaj, Noah Kahan, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons. The letter was posted on April 2nd, 2024 by the Artists’ Rights Alliance, a non-profit organization. The ARA fights for economic and artistic freedom for musicians, performers and songwriters of all genres.

The statement realizes that artificial intelligence isn’t entirely bad, and that if used properly can actually enrich music. But at the same time, it bashes the technology for “infringing and devaluing the rights” of artists’ work. The letter concludes by calling on all well-known A.I. platforms to end the creation of content that aims to completely replace the talent of artists and to use the technology more responsibly.

“Stuff comes in my voice on my phone and I can’t tell it’s not me,” said country singer Luke Bryan on his experience with A.I.

There are many musicians still out there who find A.I. interesting and see it as a tool to do good. However, it just needs to be used in a way that does not harm the income of real humans who work each and every day to create new content for their fans. 

Although as of right now, artificial intelligence has crossed the line between helping a hurting and performers are tired of ignoring it.

“When an artist themselves says that they can’t recognize whether it’s their voice or artificial intelligence, you gotta get ahead of the problem,” said CBS Mornings anchor Vladimir Duthiers.