In a blog post published on August 21, YouTube revealed its three core principles on AI technology in regard to partnering with the music industry. “AI is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners”, the company wrote in the blog.
Evolving rapidly in recent times, AI has been revolutionizing industries by boosting capabilities and efficiency. However, the use of AI in content creation has also been met with an uproar across industries, with artists accusing AI of stealing their work and opportunities.
Youtube’s 3 AI Principles
Published by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, the blog post states that the company worked with Universal Music Group and other music partners to develop its guidelines on AI.
These three fundamental AI principles serve to enhance music’s unique creative expression while also protecting music artists and the integrity of their work.YouTube blog post
The first principle clearly states that YouTube has every intention of embracing generative AI. Highlighting that millions of people already use generative AI in their day-to-day lives, Neal Mohan revealed that YouTube saw over 1.7 billion views of AI-related videos in 2023 alone.
YouTube introduced its Music AI Incubator, which will help ensure the responsible use of AI technology in creating music.
YouTube and its partners across the industry have agreed to build on their long history of collaboration and “responsibly embrace this rapidly advancing field” to harness the ambitious forms of creativity unlocked by generative AI.
Following this principle, YouTube aims to work with the music industry to promote creativity in a way that would enhance their “joint pursuit of responsible innovation”.
The company is also working with a team comprising prominent artists, songwriters, and producers, such as Anitta, Max Richter, Yo Gotti, Rosanne Cash, 3 times Grammy winner Ryan Tedder, and others.
This team will be helping the company gather insights on generative AI experiments as well as research.
The second principle is centered around protecting the creative works of artists on the platform. YouTube is currently working on Content ID, a rights management technology to ensure that rights holders are paid for the use of their content.
We’ve made massive investments over the years in the systems that help balance the interests of copyright holders with those of the creative community on YouTube.YouTube blog post
YouTube revealed its third and final principle aimed at safety measures and policy upgrades. With the goal of tackling potential challenges, the company plans to grow its vast trust and safety policies.
“Generative AI systems may amplify current challenges like trademark and copyright abuse, misinformation, spam, and more“, the CEO wrote. However, he also went on to add that AI can be used to identify such content and protect the community of viewers.
What’s Next?
It’s pretty clear that with its three principles, YouTube is taking a holistic approach to accepting the use of generative AI in music creation while protecting both artists and viewers.
According to the blog post, YouTube will continue talking to additional partners about how they can broaden their efforts. The coming months will also see the company releasing more information on specific technologies, policies, and monetization opportunities.
