Post by Joachim Jochum

𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱. Let me invite you to step out of the usual entrepreneurial or academic AI bubble for a moment. Tomorrow I'm attending the Saxon Innovation Conference in Dresden — including sessions on sustainability, meaning, and creativity in the context of AI. Last night, though, I found myself a witness and an ally in a very different kind of fight: against an opportunist trying to cash in on the success of established, excellent, deeply creative musicians. His method: AI-altered versions of their work — some still unfinished working drafts, released only in fragments — end up on his own YouTube channel to build a following of his own. Whether he's actually a fan of these musicians or not makes no difference to the consequences. Because YouTube automatically scans uploads through its Content ID system. Once an AI-altered third-party version makes it into that database, it can register as a "match" against the actual creators — leading to the absurd result that they end up blocked from monetizing their own work. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. That this kind of slop can threaten someone's livelihood is probably clear to most of you here. But to witness it live — and then to read the excuses and the spite of someone openly violating copyright — does more than give you pause. Wherever musical excellence captivates a large audience this quickly, it inevitably draws people who want a slice of that "attention pie." Without contributing anything of value themselves — and committing clear copyright violations along the way. If you love music, or even have favorite musicians, ask yourself: is it really only the music itself that moves you? Or is it also the admiration and respect for the technical skill and the creative achievement — especially once you get to experience these people live? I've made music myself since childhood. I find AI-generated music pretty soulless — even if, on the surface, it sounds "good" at first, and keeps getting "better." But what AI can replace the joy of standing on a stage as a musician, in front of a grateful audience? None. And what AI can replace the deeply personal bond we build, as listeners, with our profoundly human artists — with all the emotion we cherish in them? Let's sharpen our eye together, so our favorite artists don't sink soundlessly into a sea of AI-generated junk. How do you tell when there's a real human behind a piece of work — and not just an algorithm? #Copyright #CreatorEconomy #ArtificialIntelligence #Music