What does the music industry want from the future of AI – and how can the UK lead the way?

As the conversation around the impact of AI on music and creatives grows ever louder, industry leaders have laid out what needs to be done to protect artists and the UK’s creative forces in the future. READ MORE: NME’s top 10 shows from Beyond The Music 2026 This month saw a gathering of industry leaders, artists and experts at Manchester’s Beyond The Music Festival, where an AI summit was held come up with a set of principles based on the idea that “art is a human right” and that creators naturally have a moral and material claim to be both credited and paid for their work. The ‘Manchester Principles’ were designed as a first-of-its-kind industry-wide plan and rights-based roadmap to align creators, rights-holders, tech platforms, AI labs and policymakers on generative AI regulations. “When we talk about what the Manchester Principles mean and why you’re here, it’s thinking about how we start that conversation,” Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig told the audience. “How does economic change and technological progress lead into social change? What are the things that we need to demand that can make our world better, safer and protect creativity and our very soul?” Mayor Of Great...