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Soon you may be able to watch artists like The Beatles come back from the dead to play Hey Jude <\/em>live at Glastonbury or Coachella, thanks to AI. In fact\u2014it\u2019s already happening, sort of.<\/p>\n \u201cA world where you think about the legacy of somebody, (and) their ability to continue making impact years and years and years to come, is an interesting one,\u201d Alexandra Shannon, head of strategic development at talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) said on a panel at Fortune<\/em>\u2019s Brainstorm AI conference<\/a> in London when asked whether we legendary bands like The Beatles could one day \u2018work forever\u2019.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re seeing versions of that here in the U.K. with Abba Voyage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Swedish pop group has been on tour in London since 2022\u2014but in virtual form, with avatars of the four band members as they appeared in 1979.<\/p>\n \u201cI think those sorts of experiences and ways to continue reaching fans for generations to come is a powerful opportunity,\u201d Shannon, a Harvard Business School alum who started her career at Lehman Brothers in 2007 before its infamous collapse, predicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey are still able to reach fans and engage with fans in the right way,\u201d Shannon added, with the caveat that \u201cthey were in control of that.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s perhaps why CAA is already getting ahead of the curve (and those planning to clone performers without their consent) by creating \u201cdigital doubles\u201d of its clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are scanning their image, we\u2019re scanning their voice, we\u2019re scanning likeness and we are then storing that on their behalf,\u201d Shannon, who joined the agency behind Aerosmith and Cardi B in 2021, revealed. <\/p>\n \u201cWe know that the law is going to take time to catch up and so this is a mechanism for our clients to actually own and have permissions around their digital identity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis provides a way for us to help set a precedent for anyone who wants to work with one of our clients in their digital identity,\u201d she added. \u201cThere\u2019s a mechanism to have them be compensated.\u201d<\/p>\n But if you want to use digital lookalikes of celebrities\u2014alive or dead\u2014don\u2019t expect to get a discount just because it\u2019s not the real deal.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to work with somebody\u2019s digital self, you aren\u2019t working with that business because you think you can work with that person in a cheaper way that is creating some big cost efficiency for you,\u201d Shannon warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019re working with somebody\u2014the value is still in that person representing your brand.\u201d<\/p>\n Shannon\u2019s comments come as music industry titans like Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Billie Eilish, have thrown their weight behind an open letter calling for a crackdown on their material being used to train AI without their permission.<\/p>\n Their open letter\u2014posted to the online community Medium<\/a> earlier this month\u2014calls on tech companies and AI developers to \u201ccease the use of AI to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThese efforts are directly aimed at replacing the work of human artists with massive quantities of Al-created \u2018sounds\u2019 and \u2018images\u2019 that substantially dilute the royalty pools that are paid out to artists,\u201d the letter, posted by the Artists Rights Alliance, continues. <\/p>\n \u201cUnchecked, Al will set in motion a race to the bottom that will degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it,\u201d it adds. <\/p>\n Among the group of 200 signatories are artists who are no longer with us, like the estate of Bob Marley.<\/p>\n The letter finishes: \u201cThis assault on human creativity must be stopped. We must protect against the predatory use of Al to steal professional artists\u2019 voices and likenesses, violate creators\u2019 rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n Direct action is also demanded by the artists, asking tech giants, digital music platforms and AI developers to pledge not to develop or deploy AI-generated tools or music that undermines their work without compensation.<\/p>\n Representatives for many of the artists via record labels Universal Music Group, Interscope Records and Glassnote Music confirmed to Fortune<\/em> their talent signed the letter.<\/p>\n Left unchecked, Al will set in motion a race to the bottom that will degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it. This assault on human creativity must be stopped. Join the movement: https:\/\/t.co\/JZYqmezk4U<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fcCxNsAFuz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Artist Rights Alliance (@artistrightsnow) April 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n The letter is far from the first landing on the desks of up-and-coming AI CEOs. <\/p>\n In July last year a handful of writers\u2014including comedian Sarah Silverman\u2014brought class-action complaints against Meta and ChatGPT maker OpenAI for \u201cremixing the copyrighted works of thou\u00adsands of book authors\u2014and many oth\u00aders\u2014with\u00adout con\u00adsent, com\u00adpen\u00adsa\u00adtion, or credit.\u201d<\/p>\n The plaintiffs, who include authors Paul Tremblay, Christopher Golden, and others, are represented by\u00a0Joseph Saveri<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Matthew Butterick<\/a>\u00a0who said they are standing up on behalf of authors to continue a \u201cvital con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtion about how A.I. will coex\u00adist with human cul\u00adture and cre\u00adativ\u00adity.\u201d <\/p>\n The case was partially dismissed in February, per Reuters<\/a>, with Judge Araceli Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn\u00a0rejecting claims of copyright infringement and that the businesses unjustly enriched themselves through other people\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Hollywood has also ground to a halt over the issue. <\/p>\n In June 2023, Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em> obtained a letter signed by prominent members of the Screen Actors Guild threatening to strike if their negotiating committee couldn\u2019t reach a deal with major studios over issues such as streaming and AI. <\/p>\n Actors including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Ben Stiller reportedly wrote: \u201cWe do not believe that SAG-AFTRA members can afford to make halfway gains in anticipation that more will be coming in three years, and we think it is absolutely vital that this negotiation protects not just our likenesses, but makes sure we are well compensated when any of our work is used to train AI.\u201d<\/p>\n A raft of agreements<\/a> have since been made\u2014though some voice actors believe the promises still don\u2019t go far enough<\/a> to protect them. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u2018This assault on human creativity must be stopped\u2019<\/h2>\n
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