Gen AI Regulation Needed to Protect Creators' Livelihoods: CISAC

The rise of generative AI is reshaping content creation, posing significant risks to artists’ incomes, according to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). The unauthorized use of copyrighted works exacerbates these challenges, raising both ethical and financial concerns. Although legal actions have started, lingering questions about fair compensation underscore the need for stronger regulatory safeguards.

Generative AI’s ability to produce music, videos, and other creative outputs through advanced algorithms is increasingly replacing traditional methods. CISAC, which represents over 6 million creators worldwide, warns that AI-generated works—often indistinguishable from human-made content—are displacing creators in the marketplace. By 2028, AI-created content is expected to surge to US$67.7 billion. This growth primarily cannibalizes the value of traditional human-created works. For instance, translators and adaptors for dubbing and subtitling are expected to face the steepest revenue losses, with a decline of 56%, followed by screenwriters (20%) and directors (15%). Music and audiovisual creators could lose up to 24% of their income by 2028, amounting to US$23.3 billion.

This situation is further exacerbated by the launch of Sora, an AI tool from OpenAI that enables visual content from simple text prompts, reports the company’s press release.  Initially supporting videos up to 1080p resolution—up to 20 seconds long, in widescreen, vertical, or square aspect ratios—Sora highlights AI’s increasing impact on transforming content creation and disrupting traditional video production workflows.

Björn Ulvaeus, President, CISAC, emphasizes the need for a robust regulatory framework. “For creators of all kinds, from songwriters to film directors, AI has the power to unlock new and unprecedented opportunities,” he stated. “But the regulatory framework remains under construction and heterogeneous. Uncertainties regarding creator remuneration persist.”

As a result, earlier this year, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) launched a strike in July, centered on demands for stronger protections against AI-related risks and fair pay, as reported by MBN. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland,  Executive Director, SAG-AFTRA, highlighted that the main issue is the lack of safeguards to prevent AI from being used to replicate actors’ voices without their consent, potentially eliminating the need to hire original actors for new projects.

The use of AI for creative purposes heightens the risk of copyright infringement, as AI algorithms are often trained on vast datasets containing copyrighted works, explains BrandSheild. This process can lead to AI-generated outputs that closely mimic or replicate existing content, raising ethical and legal concerns about the unauthorized use of intellectual property.