US Musicians' Union Sues Universal and Warner Music over Artificial Intelligence

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, accusing them of breaching collective bargaining agreements. The record labels allegedly allowed artificial intelligence developers to use musicians' work without fair compensation. The case highlights growing tensions between the music industry and artificial intelligence.

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM), which represents musicians in the United States, has filed a lawsuit against the world's two largest record labels, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Warner Music Group (WMG). The AFM accuses both companies of violating collective bargaining agreements in connection with artificial intelligence training.

According to the union, the record labels have allowed artificial intelligence developers to use musicians' recordings to train models without musicians receiving fair compensation. The AFM contends that such conduct directly violates the terms of collective agreements in force, which regulate how and to what extent musicians' work may be used.

The lawsuit is part of a broader wave in which representatives of the creative sector, musicians, writers, and artists, have begun making stronger demands for fair treatment in the artificial intelligence era. The question of who holds the rights to material used to train AI models has become an increasingly contentious issue both in courtrooms and in legislative bodies.

Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group are among the world's most influential music companies, and their catalogues contain millions of recordings. Both companies have not publicly commented on the lawsuit. If the court rules in favour of the AFM, it could set a precedent affecting the relationships between artificial intelligence developers and the music industry worldwide.