Ice Cube will take legal action against those who use artificial intelligence, or A.I., to produce material that uses his likeness without his involvement or consent.
In an interview with NELK BOYS, Ice Cube, who has long since transitioned from rapping to acting, warns creators that if they use A.I. to produce an unofficial Ice Cube song, they will be hit with a copyright lawsuit.
“I’mma sue the m–f– who made it and the people and the platform who play it. It’s like a sample, you know what I mean? Somebody can’t take your original voice and manipulate it without having to pay. I think A.I. is demonic [and] I think A.I. is going to get a backlash from organic people,” the rapper told hosts the NELK BOYS Full Send podcast.
The subject of A.I. and its effect on entertainment is a growing discussion, especially in terms of what is legal. However, Ice Cube can certainly sue someone for copyright infringement for using A.I.
Copyright law protects original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, which means that if an A.I. creates a work that is substantially similar to an existing work, the copyright owner of the existing work may be able to sue for copyright infringement.
However, the most common solution for artists like Ice Cube is a simple DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown, which forcibly directs users to remove content that infringes the owner’s copyright, and the process of filing a lawsuit could happen.
In some cases, even songs that are clearly intended as parodies that should be protected under fair use, such as an A.I. of Drake or Kanye West rapping in cover songs like Ice Spice’s “Munch,” a hyperfeminine song, have been repeatedly taken down on YouTube.
An anonymous also created an original song, “Heart on my sleeve,” using Drake and The Weeknd’s voice, which was immediately taken down on TikTok for copyright infringement.
“I don’t wanna hear an AI Drake song,” Ice Cube said. “Yeah, I don’t wanna hear that bullsh*t. He should sue whoever made it.”
Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows the unlicensed use of copyrighted material under certain circumstances, as long as the use is for a transformative purpose, such as criticism, comment, or news reporting.
Universal Music Group also wants streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to stop A.I. from their platforms.
In an attempt to stop A.I. companies from producing and potentially profiting from AI-generated content, UMG, the world’s largest music company, is calling on music platforms to stop platforming “fraud,” The Financial Times reported.
