Paul McCartney warns AI law change could rip off artists

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Beatles star Paul McCartney has warned that artificial intelligence could “rip off” artists if a proposed overhaul of copyright law goes ahead. And anyone who wants can just rip it off.” “The truth is, the money’s going somewhere… Somebody’s getting paid, so why shouldn’t it be the guy who sat down and wrote ‘Yesterday’?” A lack of clarity around whether it is right and fair that copyright material be used to train the models that are powering the new waves of AI tools has sparked debate around the world, with legal cases launched by firms and individuals in the creative industry over what they argue is unlicensed use of their material. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up “So you know, if you’re putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you’re not going to have them,” he told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. In November 2023, surviving Beatles bandmates McCartney and Ringo Starr created the song “Now And Then” using AI technology to separate John Lennon’s vocals from a home demo recorded in 1977.