I was extremely surprised and disappointed to learn that over 1,000 prominent musicians\u2014including Kate Bush and Damon Albarn \u2014 launched a \u201csilent protest\u201d on Spotify, objecting to the use of copyrighted music to train AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/feb\/25\/kate-bush-damon-albarn-1000-artists-silent-ai-protest-album-copyright<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n These individuals seem to believe that legal restrictions can magically halt technological progress \u2014 a notion so na\u00efve it verges on outright foolishness. I had expected more from some of these signatories. History shows that no laws or prohibitions have ever stopped the advance of technology. As the saying goes, \u201cHistory teaches us that man learns nothing from history\u201d (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel) \u2014 and these protestors underscore that point perfectly. They appear not to have learned from the past, or they think \u201cthis time it will work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I speak from experience, having grown up behind the Iron Curtain of the Soviet Union and witnessing firsthand how restrictions failed to suppress pirated software, knowledge and freedom. No ban will stop AI development: if training is outlawed in one country, it will simply happen in another \u2014 or go underground. Progress cannot and will not be stopped, in any field. It\u2019s almost comical to see a group of \u201cgreats\u201d genuinely believe they can halt it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve written a short piece that touches on this issue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.audiowatermarking.com\/blog\/defending-the-authenticity-of-sound-in-the-age-of-ai-how-advanced-audio-watermarking-technologies-are-re-emerging\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n and while it doesn\u2019t address this protest directly, its key points certainly apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fighting the unstoppable wave of progress is futile. Instead of clinging to wishful thinking, the wiser path is to embrace and harness AI. \u201cIf you can\u2019t beat them, join them.\u201d Yet these protestors willfully blind themselves, planting their feet on the wrong side of history. AI will reshape every facet of our lives \u2014 perhaps not all for the better \u2014 but trying to stop it is as laughable as halting a speeding train with bare hands. Pathetic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was extremely surprised and disappointed to learn that over 1,000 prominent musicians\u2014including Kate Bush and Damon Albarn \u2014 launched a \u201csilent protest\u201d on Spotify, objecting to the use of copyrighted music to train AI. www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/feb\/25\/kate-bush-damon-albarn-1000-artists-silent-ai-protest-album-copyright These individuals seem to believe that legal restrictions can magically halt technological progress \u2014 a notion so na\u00efve it… Continue reading