SoundCloud is updating its Terms of Service again after users became angry over wording regarding artificial intelligence that even the company itself now calls “too broad.” The details of the changes were outlined in an open letter from SoundCloud CEO Elia Seton, who reaffirmed the company’s commitment to artists.
In particular, the SoundCloud Terms of Use now prohibit the company from using content uploaded to SoundCloud to train generative AI that copies an artist without their consent. As stated in the new terms, SoundCloud will implement them over the next few weeks:
“We will not use your content to train generative artificial intelligence models that aim to reproduce or synthesize your voice, music, or likeness without your explicit consent, which must be provided through the consent to use mechanism.”
Seton also reiterated that Soundcloud has never used “artist content” to train AI. “Not for music creation. Not for large language models. Not for anything that tries to imitate or replace your work,” Seton writes.
The conflict over SoundCloud’s approach to artificial intelligence began when users noticed that the company had updated its Terms of Service in February 2024 to allow SoundCloud to use content to “inform, train, develop, or as input to artificial or machine intelligence technologies or services as part of and in the provision of the Services.”
SoundCloud claims that it will only use artists’ content to train artificial intelligence tools to find music. It was for this purpose that the company acquired Musiio in 2022. However, it is clear that SoundCloud users will be sensitive to any changes related to artificial intelligence. Like most other content stored on the Internet, AI companies remove music without the consent of artists and are quite open about it.
