SoundCloud denies training AI with music uploaded to platform
SoundCloud has denied using music uploaded to its platform to train artificial intelligence models.
Controversy was sparked last week when an investigation by Futurism, published on May 9th, revealed that SoundCloud updated its terms and conditions in 2024 to seemingly allow AI models to be trained from its users’ content.
The clause in the conditions reportedly read: “You explicitly agree that your Content may be used to inform, train, develop, or serve as input to artificial intelligence technologies as part of and for providing the services,” causing outrage among the platform’s users, who did not have consent or knowledge of the change.
Subsequently, SoundCloud has had to clarify its stance on the issue, with the platform’s Senior Vice President and Head of Communications, Marni Greenberg, saying that they have “never used artist content to train AI models.”
She added: “[We do not] develop AI tools or allow third parties to scrape or use SoundCloud content from our platform for AI training purposes,” and “In fact, we implemented technical safeguards, including a “no AI” tag on our site to explicitly prohibit unauthorised use.”
Greenberg noted that the terms and conditions for the site had been updated in order to “clarify how content may interact with AI technologies within SoundCloud’s own platforms.”
It comes as other streaming platforms as well as the music industry at large are increasingly taking gambles when it comes to the use of AI, with Spotify recently launching a listening tool using the technology for its premium listeners.
However, its use in music is an increasingly controversial issue, with governments in both the US and UK considering proposals to implement training models across the industry more broadly.
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