The recent discovery of millions of creative works, including songs by prominent Australian musicians, being used to train artificial intelligence has sparked outrage among artists. Paul Dempsey and Bernard Fanning are among those who have found their original songs in datasets used to train AI models, without their permission. The datasets, assembled by researchers and AI companies, contain vast catalogues of work by Australian artists, including Kylie Minogue, Powderfinger, and Jimmy Barnes. Dempsey expressed frustration, stating that the use of his music without permission renders his negotiated agreements and contracts useless. Fanning argued that using original songs to produce robotic AI content is dehumanizing, as it replaces human emotion with aggregated data. The practice of 'slurping' copyright or private content to train AI has raised concerns about the widespread ingestion of unauthorized material. Music licensing organization APRA AMCOS has criticized major tech platforms for not coming to the table to discuss payment and terms for using copyrighted works. Australia's intellectual property laws require permission and agreed-upon terms before using copyright works, but the IT industry has pushed for exemptions. The federal government has ruled out changes that would have legalized AI companies using content without paying creators. As the debate continues, musicians like Dempsey and Fanning emphasize the importance of genuine artistic expression, which comes from human experience, not artificial intelligence.

Source: The Guardian