ASCAP has submitted new comments to the Copyright Office regarding artificial intelligence, specifically addressing arguments from AI and tech companies like Anthropic. The organization's latest submission focuses on three key areas of concern.

The first major point emphasizes the importance of direct voluntary licensing for creators. ASCAP argues against claims that licensing is impractical for AI training, citing Boomy as an example of an AI platform successfully developed using properly licensed materials. The organization states that "licensing models will adapt to the evolving technical environment to ensure that creators are compensated."

Second, ASCAP highlights AI's unique threat to human creativity, distinguishing it from previous technological innovations. Unlike tools such as sound mixing or autotune, generative AI can create new content autonomously, at scale, and with quality increasingly comparable to human work. This capability poses a significant threat to creators' livelihoods.

Third, the organization advocates for an enhanced federal right of publicity. ASCAP argues that current state laws are insufficient to protect against AI's unprecedented ability to use creators' images, likenesses, and voices without authorization.

The submission addresses the No Fakes Act, introduced in October, which would establish penalties for unauthorized "digital replicas" of sound recording artists. However, questions remain about how the legislation would handle AI-generated voices that naturally resemble existing commercial voices, particularly considering the availability of training data.

The organization's stance represents a strong push for creator protection in the evolving AI landscape, emphasizing the need to balance technological advancement with fair compensation and rights protection for human artists.

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