What does ‘unleashing AI’ mean for audio clients?

What does ‘unleashing AI’ mean for audio clients?

Sir Keir Starmer said this week that he plans to 'unleash AI' across the UK to boost growth, which sounds very dramatic! We certainly need to boost growth, however ‘unleashing AI’ sounds like they may be tempted to ignore the risks. As for his other phrase, ‘mainlining AI’, that’s just terrifying!

At Forever Audio, we’ve been reflecting on AI’s potential and its implications for the creative and production industries over the past few years. For AI to be effective and successful for our clients, we’re clear that a careful balance of humans and technology, clear communication and an awareness of the risk is going to be crucial. We need to ensure that every project remains authentic.

Generative and assistive AI no doubt opens up exciting opportunities for us all: streamlined workflows, larger-scale projects, uncharted creative territories and cost efficiencies that were once unimaginable. However, maintaining the quality of our work and safeguarding our clients from unnecessary risk is paramount. The audio landscape is particularly rich with AI innovation, so our teams are constantly weighing up the potential of innovation against its pitfalls, and it’s not always obvious where the risks lie.

From music and voiceovers, to scripting and mixing, AI can be deployed across virtually every stage of the creative and production process. But should it be? Some tech companies offer end to end solutions to create an entire piece of content using generative AI and machine learning, from script to delivery. For now the quality of the output is mixed, but that will no doubt improve. However, do users really know what’s going on under the hood? When it comes to protecting our clients’ and other creators' IP, we mustn’t prioritise cost over risk, and we know from personal experience that a lot of technology companies are making claims about usage and licenses they simply can’t substantiate.

Over the last couple of years our team have had numerous conversations with AI firms who have made claims about IP protection that they probably shouldn’t make, due to either the open nature of the networks they use or data-mining practices that are now coming under increased legal scrutiny.

In March 2023, the US Copyright Office published a Statement of Policy setting out its approach to registration of works containing material generated by AI. The guidance states that only the human created parts of a generative AI work are protected by copyright.

In the UK the government is currently consulting on the use of data-mining, having originally proposed allowing scraping of copyright-protected work for any commercial purpose there’s a significant change of tact following enormous pressure from the creative and publishing industries as it now considers making it subject to rights reservation by right holders (i.e., an opt-out) or otherwise licensing them for AI training and obtaining payment for their use.

Source: For a list of major AI legal cases currently running across the creative and publishing industries see Mishcon de Reya’s policy tracker

As an audio agency with a collective wealth of specialist knowledge across the team, we’re flattered to be approached by tech firms seeking to understand everything from production workflows and sound design techniques, deliverables to the complexities of music publishing (a legal minefield!). We’re always happy to have a conversation and learn anything we can, but we’ve been surprised by some of the bold claims made by firms offering licenses with “all media, global usage”, bundled in with their output for the few hundred dollars it costs the user.

Uploading client IP, briefs or other material to the cloud, or creating voice or music that's been generated using unlicensed data, all this risks opening clients up to substantial legal risk that could outweigh the benefits they originally sought to make. What might initially be seen as a cost or time saving option, could turn out to be quite the opposite.

We’ve spent 20 years embracing technology, broadband barely existed when we built our first Studio! But technology alone isn’t enough; we think clients benefit most from the seamless blend of advanced technology with specialist, human knowledge and we firmly believe that will continue to be the case for a very long time. Working like this for years we’ve created unique workflows, at huge scale, delivered efficiently and always with a smile!

When it comes to protecting our clients’ IP, confidentiality, and data security, we don’t cut corners. We mustn’t prioritise cost over security - it’s not a zero sum game - by respecting all interests we'll unlock growth opportunities for us all. From our TPN Gold+ accreditation (the global benchmark for TV and film industry content security) to our memberships of CreativeUK, PCAM and PRS, we uphold standards to protect the work and rights of every stakeholder involved in the creative process.

For us, every piece of technology must solve a problem, not create one. We all need to fully understand the tools we use. So perhaps it’s less about ‘unleashing AI’ and more about, ‘diligently applying AI with the full understanding of the risks’? We won’t be writing sound bites for the PM anytime soon though!

Let’s Talk About the Future of Audio

From creative storytelling to world class production, Forever Audio are here to support you at every step of your audio journey. If you’re exploring new ideas or looking for trusted guidance, we’re always happy to help.