YouTube launched A.I. Music Incubator with Universal Music Group, addressing three principles of its A.I. approach

In a blog post from YouTube last week, the video platform addressed the need to embrace A.I. with a “continued commitment to responsibility” while highlighting three principles of its approach with the launch of its A.I. Music Incubator.

“Millions of people already embrace it (A.I.) in their day-to-day lives, from finding useful information to increasing creativity and productivity," the blog post wrote, citing the striking statistics that, in 2023 so far, the video platform gathered over 1.7 billion views in its videos relating to A.I. tools.

Music generation is among one of the most adopted usages of A.I., but discussions have been around concerning issues such as copyrights and misinformation. ith A.I.’s increasing demand, it makes sense for YouTube to make corresponding plans for the A.I.-infused content in the platform — in this case, it’s in connection with music.

According to reports earlier this month, Google has already been in talks with Universal Music Group (UMG) to navigate copyright issues relating to A.I. generative music.

Read also: “Google and Universal Music Group navigate copyrights in the era of A.I. deepfake songs”

The blog post wrote that YouTube would keep investing in A.I.-powered technology that helps it protect the community of viewers, creators, artists, and songwriters — such as Content ID, YouTube’s pioneering rights management system — while its policies on uploading manipulated content will be kept up to date.

The announced collaborative program between YouTube and UMG, A.I. Music Incubator, will see a series of exploration, experiments, and feedback on A.I.-related musical tools and products under their research while encouraging more artists to make use of the technology to boost their productivity.

As YouTube will continue to discuss with other partners on broadening their efforts, it wrote in the blog post that they will “share more about specific technologies, monetization opportunities, and policies” they’re developing in the months ahead.

The three principles of YouTube’s approach to A.I. are as follows:

• A.I. is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners.
• A.I. is ushering in a new age of creative expression, but it must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners who decide to participate.
• We’ve built an industry-leading trust and safety organization and content policies. We will scale those to meet the challenges of A.I.