SoundCloud has issued an replace to its phrases of service, days after the music platform had caught warmth from musicians and advocates over a earlier replace on its coverage on synthetic intelligence coaching.
In an open letter revealed Wednesday, SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton wrote that the corporate “has by no means used artist content material to coach AI fashions,” echoing a press release a SoundCloud consultant shared with The Hollywood Reporter final week.
“Not for music creation. Not for giant language fashions. Not for something that tries to imitate or change your work. Interval,” Seton wrote. “We don’t construct generative AI instruments, and we don’t enable third events to scrape or use artist content material from SoundCloud to coach them both.”
The backlash comes from a February 2024 replace to SoundCloud’s phrases of service to say that customers “explicitly agree that your Content material could also be used to tell, prepare, develop or function enter to synthetic intelligence or machine intelligence applied sciences or companies as a part of and for offering the companies.”
That replace began making the rounds final week, drawing the ire of musicians cautious their content material could be used to coach generative AI fashions. Just like SoundCloud’s preliminary assertion final week, Seton stated within the letter that the platform up to date its phrases of service “to make clear how we could use AI internally to enhance the platform for each artists and followers,” citing capabilities like improved search, playlisting and content material suggestions.
Seton stated Wednesday, nonetheless, that the language in that replace was “too broad and wasn’t clear sufficient.”
“It created confusion, and that’s on us,” Seton wrote. “That’s why we’re fixing it.”
Per the letter, SoundCloud is making one other replace to the phrases of service saying “we won’t use Your Content material to coach generative AI fashions that goal to duplicate or synthesize your voice, music, or likeness with out your specific consent, which should be affirmatively supplied via an opt-in mechanism.” The outdated language will probably be stricken.
Seton stated that “if there is a chance to make use of generative AI for the good thing about our human artists, we could make this chance obtainable to our human artists with their specific consent, through an opt-in mechanism.”
“Our place is easy: AI ought to assist artists, not change them. Any use of those instruments on SoundCloud will proceed to replicate that,” Seton stated. “AI goes to be part of the altering panorama of music. It brings new alternatives, but additionally very actual challenges. That’s why our method will all the time be guided by a single precept: artist-first.”
SoundCloud’s transfer comes as AI stays probably the most contentious points within the music and leisure industries, as underscored by the priority following the ouster of copyright register Shira Perlmutter over the weekend.
Whereas the change addresses some critics’ considerations, it hasn’t appeared to appease all of the critics. Ed Newton-Rex, the founding father of the nonprofit music advocacy group Pretty Educated (who stated final week he’d be eradicating his music from the platform) tweeted Wednesday that the replace “doesn’t go practically far sufficient.”
“Their new phrases will say they gained’t prepare gen AI fashions that replicate your voice / model. However they depart the door open to the more likely gen AI coaching: fashions skilled in your work which may circuitously replicate your model however that also compete with you available in the market,” Newton-Rex wrote. “If they really need to tackle considerations, the change required is easy. It ought to simply learn ‘We won’t use Your Content material to coach generative AI fashions with out your specific consent.’”
Learn Seton’s full letter right here.
