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The new song “Heart on My Sleeve” has gotten a lot of attention. After it reached the top spot on platforms like Spotify and YouTube, it was removed.
The song was created using AI and the voices in the song sound exactly like music artists Drake and The Weeknd. However, the artists have no connection to the song.
Because of the song, there are now serious discussions about laws, and how to use AI responsibly.
Despite the popularity of “Heart on My Sleeve”, Drake’s music label, Universal Music Group, asked music streaming services to remove the song. Universal says that the song violates the label’s copyrights.
According to Universal, training AI systems with their music and then sharing it is not allowed.
There are many legal and ethical questions about AI-generated media. Some music artists say that AI is good for the music industry, but each artist should be responsible for protecting their own work.
Of course, artists and music labels are worried about losing money, too.
There’s now an organization called The Human Artistry Campaign that supports art made by real people, not AI.
The organization wants to help create rules and guidelines that music labels, artists, music platforms, and fans can easily follow.
Vocabulary
- Attention – notice; thought; interest; awareness; focus
- Reach – hit; achieve; make it to; attain;
- Top spot – The first/best position in a ranking;
- Platform – an online business that provides a service or connects people and businesses
- Remove – to take out; to take away from; take off; to stop; to eliminate
- Artificial intelligence (AI) – human intelligence in a machine. See more here.
- Music artist – A person who creates or performs music
- Law – a rule, regulation, or guideline set by the government
- Responsibly – Doing something in a way that is careful and considerate of others
- Despite – In spite of; or regardless of; even though
- Popularity – how much something is liked or not liked; the level or amount something is admired, enjoyed or liked
- Music label – A company that promotes, distributes, and sells music
- Streaming service – an online platform that allows users to watch videos, movies, or TV shows on demand over the internet (Netflix, Disney+)
- Violate – break a rule; do something that’s not allowed
- Copyright – ©; protection from someone copying your work
- According to – as ‘someone’ said; as stated by ‘someone’; in the opinion of ‘someone’
- Train AI – To teach an artificial intelligence system to recognize patterns and make predictions
- Allowed – permission to do something; it’s OK; permitted; you may; you can
- Legal – related to or connected to law;
- Ethical – relating to beliefs about what is morally right and wrong; relating to moral principles and values that help us decide what is right or wrong in human behavior
- AI-generated – Something that is created/made by an artificial intelligence system
- Industry – business field; area of work or business; type of business
- Responsible for – to be officially in charge of something; in control of; held accountable for something
- Protect – keep safe or secure; guard; defend
- Organization – a group of people with one purpose; an agency; a society; company
- Guideline – A set of instructions or rules that give direction on how to do something
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- How do you think the music industry will change in the next 10 years as AI technology continues to improve?
- If you were a musician, would you be willing to collaborate with AI on a music project? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, are organizations like The Human Artistry Campaign necessary?
- Do you think that using AI to create music is ethical? Why or why not?
Original Story
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
