AI Applications in Music: Whose Copyright?

Many topics surrounding the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in music creation were raised at the national scientific conference "Application of artificial intelligence in contemporary music composition", which took place at Van Hien University in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of June 21.

Adaptive and AI are becoming more prevalent

The national scientific conference "Application of artificial intelligence in contemporary music composition" is an event organized by Van Hien University in collaboration with the Vietnam Musicians Association in the Southern region and sponsored by the Lao Dong Newspaper. The conference aims to create a forum for experts, musicians, music lecturers, students... to share and learn more about the application of AI in contemporary music composition.

Speakers and delegates took a souvenir photo at the conference. (Photo provided by Van Hien University)

Mr. Nguyen Do Tung, Executive Director of Van Hien University, said: "This workshop aims to exchange and propose solutions and development orientations between AI and music; discuss important topics such as the potential and limitations of AI in music creation, how AI creates music trends, the future of music and AI...".

The speakers at the conference all agreed that AI is an inevitable trend of the times, increasingly developing in many fields, not just music. Therefore, the use and adaptation of AI in creativity by musicians will become more and more popular.

"Training to use AI as a means along with human intelligence and emotions is a tool to create music for those working in music, helping people work in music more intelligently, more conveniently, and more richly" - Associate Professor, Dr. Truong Ngoc Thang, Van Lang University, commented.

Meanwhile, Master of Arts Nong Xuan Hieu - Faculty of Arts, Van Hien University - said: "AI can now compose complete music with minimal human intervention. AI can automatically create music, create virtual instruments, analyze music, support mixing and mastering. Not only stopping at the production stage, AI also participates in live performances, interacts with the audience, collects and analyzes audience feedback from various network platforms and media channels."

According to experts, the future of AI in music is very open. AI not only helps improve production efficiency but also opens up new creative directions for musicians. AI tools will continue to develop, becoming smarter and easier to use, helping everyone, even those with little knowledge of music, to compose and produce high-quality music.

AI is just an assistant

Meritorious Artist Tran Vuong Thach - Vice President of the Vietnam Musicians Association in charge of the Southern region - raised many issues about creativity and copyright when musicians use AI tools to create works. Are works created by humans using AI the creation of humans or machines? So, does the copyright belong to humans or to AI?

This is an issue that copyright centers and international copyright organizations from Europe, America and other countries have discussed a lot. If a work created by humans using AI is successful and generates revenue, will the copyright be paid to the musician or the AI? Many speakers believe that AI should be considered an assistant, a support tool in the composition process because AI still has limitations and challenges, especially with Vietnamese folk music.

"AI has only recently accumulated a huge treasure trove of European and American music. The genres of folk music, traditional music or music with traditional and regional influences in Vietnam are still limited. With continuous upgrading, in the future, AI will certainly be a good support tool for musicians and music enthusiasts to create folk music works," said Colonel - musician Nguyen Mai Kien, Head of the Training Department of the Military University of Culture and Arts.

Dr. Nguyen Bach Mai - Nguyen Tat Thanh University - said: "AI is still limited in emotion, mainly relying on samples and algorithms to create music, so it often lacks authenticity and sophistication, and cannot be compared with emotions from real human experiences."

Regarding copyright issues, Colonel - musician Nguyen Mai Kien said that when using Suno software, Suno said that if you use it without buying the copyright, you are only allowed to share the song created from this AI, not to sell it. On the contrary, if you buy the copyright monthly, you will be allowed to use the created song for business, to make money from YouTube or other online platforms.

"Currently, copyright laws have not kept up with the development of AI. Organizations and lawmakers need to soon issue new regulations to ensure the rights of artists and music producers, while promoting the creativity and development of AI in this field" - Master of Music Nong Xuan Hieu proposed.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ung-dung-ai-trong-am-nhac-tac-quyen-cua-ai-196240621205446004.htm