Thousands of Artists Sign Petition to Stop AI Models From Scraping Data - 1

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Thousands of Artists Sign Petition to Stop AI Models From Scraping Data

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • More than 13,500 artists and content creators have signed the petition
  • Among the participants, public figures like Julianne Moore, Thom York, and Kazuo Ishiguro stand out
  • The organizer is the British composer and former AI executive Ed Newton-Rex

Over 13,500 artists, creative content creators, and organizations have signed a new petition to stop tech companies from scraping data to train their AI models.

The website hosting the signatures for the Statement on AI training shows celebrities and public figures like the actress Julianne Moore, the writer Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, and the musician from Radiohead Thom Yorke.

“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted,” reads the document, and part of the limited information shared on the site.

According to The Guardian , the organizer of the letter is Ed Newton-Rex, a British composer and former AI executive, who explained that those who live from creative work are very concerned about the situation with AI training.

“There are three key resources that generative AI companies need to build AI models: people, compute, and data. They spend vast sums on the first two – sometimes a million dollars per engineer, and up to a billion dollars per model. But they expect to take the third – training data – for free,” said Newton-Rex to The Guardian.

Newton-Rex used to work for the tech firm Stability AI as head of audio and has been sharing his concerns over AI training and copyrights since he resigned last year.

The British composer has also criticized the opt-out measures as the UK government is considering a scheme to allow companies to opt-out of AI scraping. “It’s totally unfair to put the burden of opting out of AI training on the creator whose work is being trained on. If a government really thought this was a good thing for creators then it would create an opt-in scheme,” said Newton-Rex.

The petition keeps gathering signatures from people from music, literature, film, television, theater, and more.

Spotify Introduces Custom Playlist Cover Art Feature - 2

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Spotify Introduces Custom Playlist Cover Art Feature

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • Spotify users can now design custom playlist cover art.
  • Both free and premium users can access the new functionality.
  • Only one custom cover art can be saved per playlist at a time.

Spotify has announced the rollout of a new feature that enables users to design and customize their own playlist cover art. This update, unveiled on Tuesday, is currently available in beta across 65 markets through the Spotify mobile app for iOS and Android. Both free and premium users will have access to this functionality.

Previously, users could upload custom images for their playlists, but this new feature allows for more creative control. To utilize the feature, users can select a playlist they wish to edit, tap the three-dot menu on the playlist page, and choose the “Create cover art” option.

In the cover art creation interface, users can upload photos from their camera roll or start with a blank canvas. The app provides various customization options, including different text styles, colors, effects, and background gradients. Users can also add stickers to enhance their designs.

However, there is a limitation: users can only save one custom cover art per playlist at a time. Creating a new cover will automatically replace the existing one for that specific playlist. To keep multiple designs, users must save each version before making another.

This update aims to enhance user experience and personal expression within the Spotify platform, allowing users to visually represent their musical preferences. As the feature rolls out, it may encourage users to engage more with their playlists.