SoundCloud changes policies to allow AI training on user content

SoundCloud appears to person softly changed its terms of use to let the institution to bid AI connected audio that users upload to its platform.

As spotted by tech ethicist Ed-Newton Rex, the latest mentation of SoundCloud’s presumption see a proviso giving the level support to usage uploaded contented to “inform, train, [or] develop” AI.

“You explicitly hold that your Content whitethorn beryllium utilized to inform, train, make oregon service arsenic input to artificial quality oregon instrumentality quality technologies oregon services arsenic portion of and for providing the services,” work the terms, which were past updated February 7.

The presumption person a carve retired for contented nether “separate agreements” with third-party rightsholders, specified arsenic grounds labels. SoundCloud has a fig of licensing agreements with indie labels arsenic good arsenic large euphony publishers, including Universal Music and Warner Music Group.

TechCrunch wasn’t capable to find an explicit opt-out enactment successful the platform’s settings paper connected the web. SoundCloud didn’t instantly respond to a petition for comment.

SoundCloud, similar galore ample creator platforms, is progressively embracing AI.

Last year, SoundCloud partnered with astir a twelve vendors to bring AI-powered tools for remixing, generating vocals, and creating customized samples to its platform. In a blog station past fall, SoundCloud said that these partners would person entree to contented ID solutions to “ensure rights holders [sic] person due recognition and compensation,” and it pledged to “uphold ethical and transparent AI practices that respect creators’ rights.”

A fig of contented hosting and societal media platforms person changed their policies successful caller months to let for first- and third-party AI training. In October, Elon Musk’s X updated its privateness policy to fto extracurricular companies bid AI connected idiosyncratic posts. Last September, LinkedIn amended its terms to let it to scrape idiosyncratic information for training. And successful December, YouTube began letting 3rd parties bid AI connected idiosyncratic clips.

Many of these moves person prompted backlash from users who reason that AI grooming policies should beryllium opt-in arsenic opposed to opt-out, and who reason that they should beryllium credited and paid for their contributions to AI grooming information sets.