Sony is known for its friendly approach to releasing new flagship phones like the Xperia 1 VI. However, if you happen to use their music content to train your AI model without permission, you’re in for some trouble.

AI is a hot topic these days, but one aspect that often gets overlooked is the need for tech companies to use existing content to train their AI models. This training data, which can include text, images, audio, and video, is crucial for AI models involving machine learning and neural networks to learn and function effectively.

For instance, training an AI for music recognition would require thousands of hours of music data such as songs, lyrics, and metadata. This data helps the AI recognize patterns, make predictions, and improve its performance over time.

Recently, Sony Music Group made it clear that using its content without permission for AI training is not acceptable. The company issued a warning to AI companies and music streaming platforms about the unauthorized use of its content. Sony Music Group stressed that any use of its content – including album cover art, metadata, musical compositions, and lyrics – must have explicit permission.

Representing artists like Lil Nas X and Celine Dion, Sony sent warning letters to over 700 companies to protect its intellectual property from being exploited without consent. While the exact list of companies contacted was not disclosed, it’s possible that major players like Apple could be among them. Apple has a vast Apple Music library and could have the resources to use this content for training AI models. However, unless there’s a specific agreement between Apple and Sony allowing this use, Sony’s warning indicates that such activities would violate their intellectual property rights.