Two artificial intelligence music start-ups, Suno and Udio, have been sued by major record labels, which accuse them of using copyright-protected music tracks to develop their technologies.
The charges have been filed separately against the two companies by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing giants such as Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records.
The AI start-ups offer tools that generate music on the basis of simple prompts inputted by users.
"Unlicensed services like Suno and Udio, that claim it’s ‘fair’ to copy an artist’s life’s work and exploit it for their own profit without consent or pay, set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for us all,” RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement.
He said his association was “already collaborating with responsible developers to build AI sustainable AI tools centered on human creativity that put artists and songwriters in charge.”
Neither Suno nor Udio, developed by Uncharted Labs, responded immediately to French news agency AFP’s request for comment.
In April, over 200 famous artists, including stars like Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Smokey Robinson, issued an open letter calling for better protection for creators and copyright holders against the “predatory use of AI to ‘steal’ voices” of professionals.
