Is This What We Want?

By: Emily Eade

AI has come a long way since it first appeared in 1956. Ask anyone about it, and they will definitely give you their two cents. They may view it as a good thing or a bad thing, but in the sense of art, it's becoming our worst enemy. A recent study showed that three out of four artists believe the current method of using AI-generated work is unethical.

In late 2024, the UK proposed laws in which AI companies can use real artists’ copyrighted work to build their products without a license. These works include music, artwork, and lyrics, to name a few. This led to many artists becoming upset and protesting the laws. 

On February 25, 2025, a silent album was released, and over 1,000 artists from all over the UK and the Republic of Ireland banded together, using their names and platforms to protest the recent proposed laws. The album consisted of 12 recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. The 12 tracks on the album spell out the message, “The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit AI companies.”

The artists involved used the silent recordings to try and convey the impact they’d expect the UK government's proposals would have on the livelihoods of musicians, even donating all the profits to the charity, Help Musicians. Although these silent recordings were uncredited, it seems that one of the tracks was recorded in musician Kate Bush’s studio. Credited “co-writers” include Damon Albarn (Gorillaz and Blur), Kate Bush, the Clash, Billy Ocean, Sam Fender, and Hans Zimmer, just to name a few. 

This unfortunately has become the reality for artists around the world. The United States is one of the countries where there are talks that copyright laws will be stripped away to benefit AI companies. 400 Hollywood stars came together to write a letter addressing their concerns about these laws. Why do we continue to let AI thrive when it's harming the future of art and the people who create it?