Universal Music is working with an AI company to build an “ethical” music generatorUniversal Music Group is working with the AI company Klay Vision to create an “ethical” foundational model for generating AI music.
Klay Vision is currently creating a “Large Music Model” named KLayMM and is planning to launch a product in a matter of months. The company’s founder and CEO Ary Attie has said the company believes “the next Beatles will play with KLAY”.

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Both claim the model will work “in collaboration with the music industry and its creators,” but haven’t yet explained how, while Klay plans to make music AI “more than a short-lived gimmick”. Nonetheless, they have numerous issues relating to AI usage in mind, including copyright as well as name and likeness rights.
“Building generative AI music models ethically and fully respectful of copyright, as well as name and likeness rights, will dramatically lessen the threat to human creators and stand the greatest opportunity to be transformational, creating significant new avenues for creativity and future monetisation of copyrights,” Universal Music has said.
Attie adds: “Research is critical to building the foundations for AI music, but the tech is only an empty vessel when it doesn’t engage with the culture it is meant to serve.
“Klay’s obsession is not just to showcase its research innovation but to make it invisible and mission-critical to people’s daily lives. Only then can music AI become more than a short-lived gimmick. Our great artists have always embraced the newest technologies – we believe the next Beatles will play with Klay.”
“We are excited to partner with entrepreneurs like the team leading KLAY, to explore new opportunities and ethical solutions for artists and the wider music ecosystem, advancing generative AI technology in ways that are both respectful of copyright and have the potential to profoundly impact human creativity,” adds Michael Nash, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Universal Music.
The news follows UMG’s involvement in lawsuits against AI music generator sites. In June, it along with Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Records Inc sued AI music platforms, Suno and Udio alleging copyright infringement of recorded music at “an almost unimaginable scale.”
In addition, its months-long dispute with TikTok, in which it pulled its entire song catalogue from the platform, was ended with a new licensing arrangement that covers AI-generated music.
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