ASCAP DEFENDS CREATORS IN WHITE HOUSE AI DEBATE

ASCAP is expanding its advocacy for creators by putting itself at the forefront of the discussion about the White House AI Action Plan, which President Trump has said is designed to assert U.S. dominance in the field—without offering many specifics.

The first performing-rights organization to establish an AI plan, back in 2022, ASCAP has reiterated its six AI principles: Human Creators First, Transparency, Consent, Compensation/Free Market, Credit and Global Consistency. Unfortunately, ASCAP is unable to address HITS’ innate lack of intelligence, artificial or otherwise.

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said, “AI can be a powerful tool for innovation, but only if technology companies respect the rights of creators and follow the law. The U.S. can win the AI race without abandoning the strong copyright laws that have fueled creativity and entrepreneurship across the country for decades. Allowing the unauthorized use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models for commercial purposes will threaten the livelihoods of millions of American music creators and undermine the foundation of the nation's thriving creative economy.”