Artists negotiating boundaries of consent for AI use in creative industries; concerns of screenwriters replaced by AI; negotiations in film industry to protect rights of writers; intersection of AI and music production; consent and exploitation in AI; AI in hip-hop and challenges in rap generators; impact of generative AI on creative process and importance of aesthetics.
AI raises concerns among screenwriters about job security and the need to clarify its limitations and role in creative industries.
Consent and control are essential in AI-generated music to address cultural appropriation, exploitation, and prioritize artists' rights.
Deep dives
The Impact of AI on Screenwriters and the Writers Guild of America
In this podcast episode, the impact of AI on screenwriters and the Writers Guild of America is discussed. It explores how the rise of AI technology has raised concerns among writers in Hollywood about the potential for AI to replace human screenwriters. The Writers Guild of America went on strike for five months in 2023, and during the negotiations, AI became a headline issue. The agreement reached included points about AI, such as clarifying that AI cannot write or rewrite literary material and addressing concerns about the use of AI to undermine the role of writers.
AI in Music Creation and the Importance of Consent
Another topic covered in the podcast is the use of AI in music creation. One interviewee, Holly Herndon, discusses her work on Holly Plus, a collection of deepfake tools for making music with her voice. She emphasizes the importance of consent and how she opened up her identity for others to perform through her voice. Additionally, Vory Kenney, the CEO of Loudly, talks about their approach, which involves employing musicians to create and catalog sounds for AI-generated music. They prioritize transparency and obtaining consent from their music producers. The podcast also highlights concerns about AI being able to impersonate black artists and the need to address cultural appropriation and exploitation.
The Role of AI in Creative Industries and the Need to Prioritize People
The podcast explores the broader implications of AI in creative industries and raises questions around power, consent, and copyright. It reflects on how AI can both expand creative options and potentially sideline artists and their livelihoods. The importance of consent and the ability to control how AI is used with creative content is emphasized. The podcast suggests that a system of consent is crucial to ensure fairness and encourage creative innovation. It concludes with the idea that by fighting for better social conditions for artists at all levels of the industry, AI questions can be framed by aesthetic concerns, ultimately prioritizing people over profits.
From Hollywood to Hip Hop, artists are negotiating new boundaries of consent for use of AI in the creative industries. Bridget Todd speaks to artists who are pushing the boundaries.
It’s not the first time artists have been squeezed, but generative AI presents new dilemmas. In this episode: a member of the AI working group of the Hollywood writers union; a singer who licenses the use of her voice to others; an emcee and professor of Black music; and an AI music company charting a different path.
Van Robichaux is a comedy writer in Los Angeles who helped craft the Writers Guild of America’s proposals on managing AI in the entertainment industry.
Holly Herndon is a Berlin-based artist and a computer scientist who has developed “Holly +”, a series of deep fake music tools for making music with Holly’s voice.
Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo creates video games and studies the intersection between AI and Hip Hop at Brown University. Her alias as a rapper is Sammus.
Rory Kenny is co-founder and CEO of Loudly, an AI music generator platform that employs musicians to train their AI instead of scraping music from the internet.
*Thank you to Sammus for sharing her track ‘1080p.’ Visit Sammus’ Bandcamp page to hear the full track and check out more of her songs.*
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