Musician and former president of the Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) John Arnold believes that AI and copyright should be a priority for the Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence.
Arnold and executive president of the TT Copyright Collection Organisation (TTCCO) Asten Isaac spoke about the matter in separate phone interviews.
The matter is not unique to TT as countries around the globe are grappling with the effects of AI on many sectors.
On May 18, famous singer Elton John shared his disagreement with the UK government’s proposal to allow tech firms use of copyright-protected work without permission.
Globally, copyright organisations around the world have been examining AI and its effects on the creative sector.
While issues like authenticity and originality might crop up in those discussions, Isaac thinks AI and its usage is a good thing for the local creative industry.
He spoke of the evolution of the music industry – from records to floppy discs and A-tracks to cassettes, CDs and flash drives – and that there was always “borrowing” within it.
“The AI generative power is also utilising that level of tapping into what already exists,” he said. His main concern is that legislators should be more concerned with ensuring creative output is protected and, when content is regenerated, creators are able to maximise on ownership.
AI should be used to improve creative output, he said.
“If the creative owner of the product understands their ownership and can utilise AI to improve the reach of their product, then AI is adding value.”
He said people were more concerned with it infringing on someone else’s rights.
“But if the right holders are made aware of how to work with the technology, then there is not necessarily any infringement.
“So, we are empowering the rights-holders to be able to utilise AI appropriately for the promotion and marketing of the content they create.”
Isaac said many people were paid when AI creates.
“The job positioning is no longer focused on hands and physical labour but is focused on technical skill set.
[caption id="attachment_1157096" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Musician and former president of the Copyright Organisation of TT (COTT) John Arnold believes that AI and copyright should be a priority for the Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence. -[/caption]
“The people who get paid are those who make the replacement parts for the machine, the people who are servicing those machines.
“The people who understand the computer stacks and how to work with the machine, and develop coding to help the machine perform better.”
He also believes the technology would help improve the quality of output.
“Machine learning is advancing and people have to collaborate with the machine to be able to position themselves for employment.”
AI was already a part of the local music industry, he said.
Coding was attached to each track and this helped to identify each contributor to this song, he said.
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