By the time you read this, the United Kingdom will have elected a new government. Both of the main parties’ election manifestos make encouraging noises about supporting our country’s creative industries. Both also promise to make Britain an attractive destination for investment into artificial intelligence, whilst ensuring its “safety”.
These commitments are, unsurprisingly, lacking in detail. But what’s striking is the disconnect between them. Neither manifesto acknowledges the transformation that AI is expected to bring about within the creative sector.
AI‑generated music is at a tipping point. Within a few years, it will be possible to generate complete tracks that sound indistinguishable from human‑generated music, simply by typing in a few prompts. This will happen well before effective regulation can be set up. It will happen long before legal cases about copyright and AI training datasets have wound their way through the courts. And the multinational corporations making it happen will have the financial resources to take a very robust approach to UK rules and regulations in any case.
In short, the Silicon Valley model of creating the demand first and worrying about its legality later is in play again. All the foundations have been laid for another YouTube or Spotify‑style land grab, and it’s hard to see who will stand in the way.
Does a national government even have the power to shape or stop the AI revolution?
In 2022, the creative sector generated £126 billion for the UK economy, and employed 2.2 million people. Yet the issue that could determine its future doesn’t even register with the parties asking for our vote. Is that oversight, or fatalism? Does a national government even have the power to shape or stop the AI revolution?
It’s an uncomfortable feeling to be in the grip of forces beyond our control. However, it’s also worth pointing out that AI is not a case of history repeating. Once streaming on demand became technologically possible, there was never any doubt that there would be a massive demand for it. The challenge was how to make it financially sustainable, and although the solutions that have evolved look exploitative from the musician’s perspective, they have sparked impressive growth in the music industry. It’s much less certain that there is a real appetite among consumers for AI‑generated material.
AI’s ability to create music instantly to fit specific requirements will have a huge impact on production music and music for film. But when it comes to music for its own sake, what can it add to the immense body of work that’s already out there? If the answer is just to flood the market with pastiches and derivatives, then perhaps AI will push human artists to become even more original and daring. That, at least, would be one positive outcome.
Sam Inglis Editor In Chief