BandLab Backs AI Advocacy Coalition Human Artistry Campaign

BandLab has announced its support of the Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition of music and entertainment organizations that support specific ethical standards around AI. This marks the first time a music creation platform has openly supported the campaign.

Announced on Tuesday (August 7) at Ai4, an AI conference in Las Vegas, BandLab’s CEO and co-founder, Meng Ru Kuok, showed his support during the presentation “Augmenting the Artist: How AI is Redefining Music Creation and Innovation.” In it, Kuok discussed the importance of ethical AI training and development and also showcased the company’s AI music idea generator tool SongStarter.

SongStarter generates beats, melodies and chord progressions based on user input, in hopes that it can act as a jumping-off point for musicians to start writing new songs. It is one of many new AI music generation tools that have hit the market in the past few years, offering beats, voices and loops at the push of a button. While some find these to be supplementary to the creative process, critics fear some music generators could automate the work of musicians or exploit the work of musicians to train their machines.

Due to growing concerns like these, a number of entertainment companies and organizations joined together to form the Human Artistry Campaign. It was announced during South by Southwest in March along with a series of seven key principles for protecting artists in the impending age of AI. Initially, the campaign was co-signed by music firms like Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), SoundExchange, ASCAP, BMI and more. Since then, it has swelled to over 150 members.

The principles included that copyrighted works and the use of voices and likenesses of professional performers need to comply with state and federal laws, and that governments should not create new laws that allow AI companies the ability to exploit musical works and recordings.

“By becoming the first music creation platform to support the Human Artistry Campaign, we emphasize our commitment to ethical AI practices and ensuring that technology enriches the music industry and empowers new creators rather than making new barriers for them,” said Kuok during his Ai4 presentation. “BandLab is excited to be at the forefront of this movement. Together, we can all forge a future where AI empowers musicians without compromising the essence of human artistry.”

“The Human Artistry CampAIgn champions a future where art and technology reinforce one another and new innovations empower creators,” said Dr. Moiya McTier, a spokesperson for the Human Artistry Campaign. “We applaud BandLab Technologies’ leadership and look forward to additional companies committing to responsible AI practices that respect artists’ rights, names, images, likenesses, voices, and individuality.”