Kate Bush joins campaign fighting the “unjust threat” of AI in the music industry
Posted On
(Credits: Kate Bush)
Kate Bush has become the latest music industry figure to join the rally against the unethical use of artificial intelligence in the music industry, signing a petition calling for greater restrictions around the “unjust threat” of the technology.
Bush, along with many other high-profile names, has urged ministers and authorities to issue more significant and stringent protection for artists against immoral and unlawful use of their work amid growing concerns about how to implement support and control.
Joining Julianne Moore, Thom Yorke, Kevin Bacon, Rosario Dawson, Stephen Fry, and others, Bush has signed a petition, which has been supported by almost 40,000 figures, stating, “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”
Her latest move comes after several musicians have called out AI’s negative impacts on the music industry, including Paul McCartney, who recently said AI “could take over” if nothing is put in place to support and safeguard artists. Although AI can be used in beneficial and positive ways, it is commonly viewed as detrimental to creative practices and poses a significant financial burden on creators and others working in the industry.
A new report also claimed that AI will likely cost the music industry significantly, predicting that it will lose almost a quarter of its income to AI within the next four years. Conducted by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), the report found that this impact will roll out indisputably and indefinitely unless policymakers intervene.
Another to comment on this was ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, who said Australia and New Zealand are leading the way amid this panic with new rollouts that appear “encouraging and promising” because they set a “gold standard in AI policy, one that protects creators’ rights while fostering responsible and innovative technological development. Australia and New Zealand can ensure that AI serves as a tool to enhance human creativity rather than replace it.”
However, others, like Nick Cave and Peter Hook, remain sceptical. They unwaveringly believe that AI will strip music of its creativity and humanity unless greater action is taken.
Is Kate Bush working on a new album?
Bush, who teased potential new music this year, saying she was “looking forward to getting back into that creative space.” She is likely hoping for significant changes by the time she returns and that her work will be safe from potential exploitation.
However, details and confirmation around the new material remain elusive, as Bush soon shut down any hope that she was currently in the studio, telling BBC Radio 4 that she isn’t working on anything “at the moment,” adding, “but I’ve been caught up doing a lot of archive work over the last few years, redesigning our website, putting a lyric book together.”
She concluded: “And I’m very keen to start working on a new album when I’ve got this finished. I’ve got lots of ideas and I’m really looking forward to getting back into that creative space, it’s been a long time.” Revealing whether she had been thinking about working on new music for a while, she said: “Yes it is, really. Particularly [in] the last year, I’ve felt really ready to start doing something new.”
[embedded content]
Related Topics
