SCL Applauds Senators Brian Schatz and John Kennedy for Introducing the AI Labeling Act of 2023 

 October 26, 2023 

The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL), the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA), and the Music Creators North America (MCNA) coalition applaud Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) for introducing the AI Labeling Act of 2023. The bill would require that every generative AI system that produces images, videos, audio, or multimedia content should include a clear and conspicuous disclosure that it was created through a generative AI system. 

For decades, SCL, SGA, and the organizations of MCNA have championed American music and the rights of those who create it. The creative endeavors of our tens of thousands of members power the music and audiovisual industries of the United States and contribute immensely to the cultural and economic value for society and add immeasurably to America’s prestige and influence around the globe. With the recent rise in unregulated implementation of generative AI technology and the increasing use of that technology to copy, steal and repurpose music through creation of “training” systems and unauthorized derivative works, we are committed to protecting and advancing the interests of our membership throughout the U.S. and the world by ensuring that AI companies, and their generative models, adhere to the fundamental “Three C’s:” Consent, Credit and Compensation. 

For this reason, SCL, SGA, and their affiliated North American music creator advocacy group MCNA (together with its international network of independent music creators numbering in the hundreds of thousands), wholeheartedly endorse the AI Labeling Act of 2023. It is essential as a matter of protecting speech and information freedoms –as well as promoting cultural advancement– that consumers are enabled to know when they are interacting, looking, or listening to something that was generated by generative AI machines and systems rather than human beings. We will continue to work with Senators Schatz and Kennedy, as well as all other Members of Congress, to advance this bill to ensure our voices are heard. 

The bill text is available here.