ASCAP BMI SOCAN draw AI battle line
Three major North American performance rights organizations will accept registrations for songs that combine artificial intelligence tools with human composition. ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN announced on Monday that partially AI-created works may join their licensed repertoires, though fully automated compositions remain ineligible. The organizations defined qualifying material as content that blends computer-generated elements with human creative contributions.
The policy change follows a January report from the United States Copyright Office that established protection standards for AI-assisted works. Executives from the three groups said that musicians are increasingly using automated software in their production processes. The organizations condemned technology companies that train algorithms on protected musical works without authorization or payment to creators.
