SoundCloud has clarified that the corporate doesn’t use artist content material to coach AI fashions, following backlash stemming from an replace to its phrases of service that, in idea, permits it to take action.
Making digital rounds amongst artists and highlighted by tech information outlet Futurism final week, the clause, which was added to the platform’s phrases in February 2024, leaves authorized room for SoundCloud to make use of music posted to its website to coach music-making AI. It reads, partially, as follows:
“Within the absence of a separate settlement that states in any other case, you [the user] explicitly agree that your content material could also be used to tell, prepare, develop, or function enter to synthetic intelligence or machine intelligence applied sciences or companies as a part of and for offering the companies.”
With no clear indication of simply how SoundCloud makes use of AI, the Futurism article drew parallels to the corporate’s new “assistive AI” merchandise, which have been introduced one month previous to the change in phrases, and “permit artists to add songs created with assistive AI instruments on to SoundCloud,” in response to the corporate.
Within the fallout, Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and the CEO of AI music rights nonprofit Pretty Educated, wrote on X, “My query to SoundCloud is: does this embody generative AI fashions? If that’s the case, I’ll take away my music and would encourage others to do the identical.”
In an announcement printed Friday, Might 9, SoundCloud mentioned the reply, for now, isn’t any.
The Berlin-headquartered firm wrote that it has “by no means used artist content material to coach AI fashions, nor will we develop AI instruments or permit third events to scrape or use SoundCloud content material from our platform for AI coaching functions.”
The assertion went on to elucidate that the February 2024 phrases replace was meant to “make clear how content material might work together with AI applied sciences inside SoundCloud’s personal platform, for issues like suggestions and fraud detection. SoundCloud’s present phrases of service don’t explicitly rule out coaching generative AI fashions sooner or later.
Learn SoundCloud’s full assertion, shared with Futurism, right here.
Replace: https://t.co/ncvNwlyPfS
— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) Might 10, 2025
Featured picture courtesy: Unsplash.com.