AI Music Trailblazer Steps Down Amid Dispute Over ‘Fair Use’ of Copyrighted Content

Generative AI is causing debate over its use of copyrighted material, leading to the resignation of Stability AI’s VP of audio, Ed Newton-Rex. Newton-Rex believes training AI models with copyrighted content does not qualify as fair use, a belief shared by artists like Bad Bunny. AI companies support fair use, but Newton-Rex’s resignation letter reveals his disagreement with Stability AI’s stance on fair use in AI development. Newton-Rex, a classical composer and founder of Jukedeck, joined Stability AI in November 2022. There is also a push to protect AI-produced work, but a judge upheld the US Copyright Office’s decision that AI-generated art cannot be copyrighted due to the requirement of human authorship.