Katy Perry, Billie Eilish, Jonas Brothers, over 200 artists rally against AI threat

Over 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, J Balvin, Ja Rule, Jon Bon Jovi, The Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, Miranda Lambert and others, have voiced their concern over artificial intelligence (AI)-related threats in the music industry. An open letter by the non-profit Artist Rights Alliance calls on AI developers and digital music services to halt the use of AI that infringes upon and undermines the rights of artists.

The letter points out threats posed by AI, such as deepfakes, voice cloning and irresponsible uses that could reduce royalty payments to artists. The misuse of AI is seen as a predatory practice that can violate creators' rights and destabilise the music ecosystem. Among the signatories are songwriters, celebrities and leading entertainment companies.

Jen Jacobsen, executive director of the ARA, stated that the threats of AI are exacerbating the already difficult working conditions for artists. The open letter has drawn attention to the growing concern of AI in the overall entertainment business.

Last month, media tycoon Tyler Perry halted an $800 million expansion of his studio in Atlanta after witnessing OpenAI’s Sora capabilities, which can generate video from text prompts, expressing concern over potential job losses.