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Sony’s AI division has developed a new technology to analyse AI-generated content and determine the extent to which it uses copyrighted material. This tool is engineered to operate across various media formats, including music, film, and video games. Its primary function is to identify the influence of human-created works within machine-generated outputs, providing a quantitative measure of their contribution. This innovation arrives at a critical time when the proliferation of AI-generated content, particularly in the music industry, is raising significant copyright concerns.
The development is especially pertinent given the legal actions Sony Music, Sony’s music arm, is pursuing. The company is currently engaged in lawsuits against AI music platforms Udio and Suno, alleging copyright infringement. This context underscores the pressing need for technological solutions to enforce intellectual property rights in the age of generative AI. Sony’s new tool could provide the necessary evidence to support such legal claims by offering a clear, data-driven analysis of how existing works are used in AI training and in AI-generated outputs.
According to a Nikkei report, the technology operates using two distinct methods, depending on the AI developer’s cooperation. If a developer agrees to participate, the system analyses the training data to directly calculate the percentage contribution of human-created works. When a developer is uncooperative, the tool employs an estimation method that compares the AI-generated music to a database of existing music to infer which original works may have influenced the output.
Setting a New Standard for Originality
This technology could, in theory, underpin clearer mechanisms for determining what constitutes original work. Also, it could facilitate a fairer system for compensating rights holders, as it would provide a basis for calculating royalties or licensing fees based on the proportion of copyrighted material used. However, the practical effectiveness of this approach depends heavily on widespread industry adoption and AI developers’ willingness to engage with such systems transparently.
Sony’s initiative is part of a broader industry trend to improve transparency around the use of copyrighted materials in AI models. Sony Music, for instance, holds a stake in Vermillio, a company developing tools for percentage-based detection of video content. Furthermore, Sony Music and Universal Music have partnered with SoundPatrol, which utilises “Neural Fingerprinting” technology to identify copyrighted works across various adaptations, including covers and remixes. These collaborations underscore a collective effort by major rights holders to assert control over their intellectual property.
Entertainment Industry Players Development AI Copyright Detection Technologies
Other major players are also investing in similar solutions. Universal Music is working with ProRata.ai, while digital streaming services like Deezer are developing their own proprietary AI detection technologies. This surge in the development of detection tools reflects a shared concern across the entertainment and tech industries about the unauthorised use of copyrighted material.
The goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem where AI can innovate without undermining the rights of human creators.
Despite this progress, significant questions remain about the practical impact of these technologies. Their effectiveness could be limited in regions with weaker intellectual property enforcement, where legal and commercial pressures to comply may be insufficient.
Image source: Vibeet
Concurrently, several generative AI companies continue to assert that their models are trained exclusively on authorised datasets, creating a complex landscape of claims and counterclaims. Meanwhile, platforms like Boomy and ElevenLabs are expanding their AI offerings, underscoring the rapid, relentless growth of the sector.
As the volume of AI-generated content scales exponentially, the adoption and effectiveness of detection technologies will likely become central to future copyright enforcement and licensing frameworks.
Copyrights Detection Becoming a Business Model
These tools are not just about litigation; they could form the backbone of new business models, enabling legitimate AI development while ensuring creators are compensated. The coming years will reveal whether these technologies can achieve the necessary accuracy, industry-wide adoption, and legal support to effectively balance the interests of human creators with those of the burgeoning field of generative AI.
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