McCartney to release silent AI protest song
Pop legend Paul McCartney is set to release a silent music track next month as part of a broader silent album protesting proposed changes to UK copyright law that would favor tech companies. The project, titled Is This What We Want, has attracted contributions from other major artists, including Hans Zimmer and Kate Bush, who aim to highlight the potential dangers artificial intelligence (AI) poses to the creative industries.
McCartney’s track, called “Bonus Track,” is a two-minute, 45-second recording of an empty studio punctuated by a series of clicks. According to the artists behind the album, it is intended to draw attention to “the damning impact on artists’ livelihoods” that the controversial government proposals could cause. More than 1,000 artists, including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Jamiroquai, have joined the project, which was initially released in February.
The musicians argue that under the proposed changes, AI companies would be allowed to train their models using copyrighted work without obtaining permission or paying royalties to the creators. Currently, artists must actively opt in to licensing their work, but the reforms would reverse this principle, requiring creators to “opt out” if they do not want their work exploited. The initiative is intended to push back against what the artists describe as a “wholesale giveaway” to global tech firms. Only 1,000 copies of the vinyl album have been pressed, emphasizing its symbolic nature.
In May, around 400 writers and musicians, including Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Sting, and authors Kazuo Ishiguro, Michael Morpurgo, and Helen Fielding, publicly condemned the proposals in a letter to The Times. Elton John told the BBC that the government “has no right to sell us down the river,” urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “see sense” while Starmer acknowledged that AI represents “a huge opportunity” and that the government must “get the balance right” regarding copyright protection.
Recent research by UK Music found that two-thirds of artists and producers fear that AI could threaten their careers. Over 90% of those surveyed demanded protection for their voices and images and called for AI firms to compensate artists when using their creations.
The silent album serves as a striking, creative protest against legislation that, according to its critics, could undermine the rights of artists while empowering tech giants. McCartney and his fellow musicians hope their collective statement will raise public awareness and spark a meaningful debate over the future of copyright and AI in the UK’s cultural industries.
