In a recent blog post, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan outlined the platform's commitment to integrating AI with the music industry.
According to Mohan, YouTube recognizes AI's potential to enhance creativity and transform industries. He said the platform has a deep-rooted history with music, and this collaboration aims to further innovate and evolve YouTube's offerings.
YouTube will work closely with music partners, including Universal Music Group, to develop an AI framework that "respects and enhances the creative expression of music while ensuring the protection of artists and their work." He stated three core principles:
1. Responsible Integration: YouTube aims to harness AI's capabilities while preserving the integrity of music and creators' rights.
2. Protection and Monetization: With the rise of AI-generated content, YouTube continues to protect artists' rights using tools like Content ID while seeking new monetization avenues.
3. Trust and Safety in the AI Age: While AI can introduce challenges like misinformation, YouTube plans to use AI-driven tools to counteract these issues.
Reading this blog post took me back to YouTube's victory over Viacom (now Paramount), when a judge ruled that under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 "internet companies, even if aware of hosting infringing content, were protected from copyright liability if they acted swiftly to remove such content upon receiving a takedown notice."
For those unfamiliar with the case's background, YouTube was built on the popularity of copyrighted shows like South Park and The Daily Show, so I hope you'll forgive me for rolling my eyes while reading about how YouTube is going to protect anyone or anything but YouTube.
What should be done? What can be done? We can give YouTube a thumbs up for getting out ahead of this issue. The company empowered a new generation of creatives and was the foundational platform upon which social selling, influencer marketing, thousands of new companies, and hundreds of thousands of new jobs were built. That's the lesson history can teach us here.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s [email protected]
P.S. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the complex landscape of AI ethics, intellectual property rights, and the evolving legal frameworks surrounding machine-generated content, sign up for our free online course Generative AI for Execs. By the end of the course, you'll be well-versed in the key debates and be better prepared to make informed decisions regarding AI-generated content and its implications.
ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.
