Lucian Grainge Calls for AI ‘Guardrails’ Amid UK Law Debate

Amid continued debate over proposed AI regulations in the UK, Universal Music Group head Lucian Grainge is doubling down on calls for “reasonable public safeguards” for protected works.

The London native reiterated his position in a roughly 400-word Times column today, after previously weighing in on the important subject earlier this week.

As many know, these remarks – besides a silent protest album and comments from a variety of different industry players – have arrived as the UK considers an “opt-out” AI-training law.

In short, the measure would seemingly enable generative AI developers to train their models on protected works unless individual artists, rightsholders, and others expressly opt out.

Though the proposal is eliciting ample pushback (not confined to the music world, it bears noting), Grainge didn’t mention training or opt-out requirements at all in his newest comments.

Instead, the 64-year-old emphasized the central role of human creativity in music, the industry’s ability to adapt in the face of change, and the UK’s “world-leading creative industries.”

Then, getting to the heart of the matter, the UMG CEO wrapped by summing up the pitfalls that could stem from “a failure of leaders to establish reasonable public safeguards” at the intersection of AI and IP.

“AI will transform society,” Grainge concluded, “but how it transforms society is up to us. That’s why governments, industries and creators must work in harmony, seeking fairness and compromise to chart a path toward responsible AI.”

Of course, it remains to be seen what that path entails. DMN Pro in its latest weekly report provided updates on the industry’s multiple AI cases – and the adjacent chance that artificial intelligence giants might score “fair use” rights to copyrighted works.

While far from ideal, the potential outcome raises questions about an opt-out system’s possible revenue upside for labels and others. And in the bigger picture, will a UK-specific AI law really have teeth given the technology’s global impact?

To reiterate the obvious, several AI developers operate out of (or will at some point set sail in) countries where IP protections aren’t exactly ironclad. It’s difficult to cover every base (or even most bases) in this area, but DMN Pro last year explored the training particulars of Kunlun Tech’s Melodio, billed as “the world’s first AI-powered music streaming platform.”

Also worth considering are the long-term obstacles associated with soundalike AIs. In general, even with the absence of U.S. legislation addressing the issue, rightsholders have been able to decommission leading offenders here.

But down the line, strong laws and effective takedown efforts or not, it’s hardly a stretch to imagine that the systems behind unauthorized digital replicas will become more capable, widespread, and commonly utilized. Meanwhile, lawfully trained music AIs appear poised to fuel unique challenges of their own in the not-so-distant future.