Spotify Technology SA (NYSE:SPOT) chief executive Daniel Ek has confirmed the company is embracing artificial intelligence as a spat over the technology’s impact on the industry rumbles on.
Confirming the site would not ban AI-generated songs, Ek backed the use of programs to improve music but said tools that mimicked artists' voices were not acceptable.
“We've seen pretty much everything in the history of Spotify at this point with people trying to game our system,” he told the BBC.
“We have a very large team that is working on exactly these types of issues.”
Ek’s comments that AI-produced songs would not be banned as concern grows within the industry over the technology’s ability to impersonate artists.
Though there is very little regulation on AI, some have likened its abilities to stealing, with a song pretending to feature Drake and the Weeknd having racked up views on social media earlier this year.
Dubbed Heart on My Sleeve, the song was removed from the likes of Spotify and other platforms in April over copyright concerns.
7. Kanye West (brand new track) pic.twitter.com/avRQTHrJPH
— The AI Solopreneur (@aisolopreneur) April 18, 2023
Universal Music and Google owner Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) have since been in talks over potentially licensing artists’ voices, though any firm limits on how AI can be used in music production are yet to be introduced.
America’s 2018 Music Modernisation Act has also faced scrutiny, with the legislation designed to ensure fair royalties for artists reportedly being reviewed to encompass the effects of AI, according to Kiplinger.