Over 1,000 artists, such as Kate Bush, Cat Stevens, Hans Zimmer, Billy Ocean, and Annie Lennox, have released a silent album to decry Britain’s planned AI copyright law bill. The bill will permit tech firms to use artists’ music to train AI without their consent unless they choose not to opt out.

The album, named ‘Is This What We Want?’, is designed to bring attention to the possible damage to musicians’ careers and the UK’s creative sector. The charity Help Musicians will receive all the album proceeds.

Silent Album Represents Industry’s Issues

Though not completely silent, the album does contain recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. Artists say that this is “the impact we expect the government’s proposals would have on musicians’ livelihoods,” according to The New York Times.

All 12 tracks of the album contain a symbolic message, making the statement, “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.”

Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and AI developer who coordinated the album, described its function in an interview with The Associated Press: “It’s a mix of artists that everyone’s heard of and, you know, and many musicians who are not household names.”

How AI Training Threatens Music Rights

Generative AI models need vast amounts of data like text, pictures, and audio to generate content that resembles that of humans. The new UK law would enable AI developers to train their models on legally available content unless the copyright owners consciously opt out.

UK authorities claim that the existing copyright law limits the possibilities of creative sectors and AI technology. According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) spokesperson, “current regime for copyright and AI is holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from realising their full potential – and that cannot continue.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently proposed changes that would allow AI developers to exploit legally available content for training. But several musicians are opposed to the changes, claiming they undermine the copyright ethos that allows creators to have sole control over their work.

Several artists have complained that the opt-out system may end up disproportionately placing the burden on musicians to shield their work from AI misuse. The debate rages on as artists and lawmakers disagree over what the future holds for copyright protections in the era of AI.