Majority of music fans believe AI use should be restricted, survey shows
Among the findings, 79% of people felt that "human creativity remains essential to the creation of music."
A new survey has found that a majority of music fans think that the use of AI within the medium should be restricted.
Carried out by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the research - Engaging With Music 2023 - was carried out as part of the Global Music Report, which explores how fans engage with and feel about music.
According to a report by MusicWeek, responses from more than 43,000 people 26 countries - making it the largest music survey of its kind - found that 79% of people felt that "human creativity remains essential to the creation of music."
When it asked listeners who were aware of generative AI's ability to mimic existing artists' music, the survey found that 76% of people believed that an artist's music or vocals should not be "used or ingested" by AI without permission.
Meanwhile, 74% of those asked agreed that AI should not be used to clone or impersonate artists without authorisation. 70% also agreed that there should be restrictions to what AI can do, while 64% said governments should play a role in establishing and enforcing restrictions in what AI can do.
In a statement, IFPI chief executive Frances Moore said: "While music fans around the world see both opportunities and threats for music from artificial intelligence, their message is clear: authenticity matters. In particular, fans believe that AI systems should only use music if pre-approved permission is obtained and that they should be transparent about the material ingested by their systems."
AI continues to be a divisive topic in the music industry, with conflicting surveys showing the split among music makers around how to adopt the technology in their creative process.
"These are timely reminders for policymakers as they consider how to implement standards for responsible and safe AI," she added.
The study, which can be fully explored in the IFPI's Global Music Report 2023, comes four months after it was revealed that AI-created music is now eligible for nomination at the Grammy Awards, according to recent guideline changes.
Earlier this month, YouTube launched an experimental new AI feature called Dream Track that allows certain users to create pieces of music using AI voice clones of famous artists. Also this month, a survey from Pirate Studios found that over half of artists using AI in their music-making process would not tell people that they are doing so.
