The burgeoning world of artificial intelligence (AI) has collided head-on with traditional copyright law in a high-stakes legal battle. At the center of the storm is Suno, a music generation startup, which has admitted to training its AI model on copyrighted songs, claiming it’s protected under the fair-use doctrine.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) isn’t buying it. The powerful industry body has filed a lawsuit against Suno and another startup, Udio, alleging that their AI models were built on a foundation of stolen music.

Suno’s CEO, Mikey Shulman, has drawn a parallel between his company’s practices and a child learning to write rock songs by listening to the genre. “Learning is not infringing,” he insists. But the RIAA paints a starkly different picture, accusing Suno of “industrial-scale infringement” that threatens the livelihood of artists.

The crux of the dispute lies in the murky waters of fair use. This legal doctrine allows for limited use of copyrighted material without permission under certain conditions. However, the rapid evolution of AI has challenged the boundaries of this doctrine.

Suno’s argument that training an AI model on publicly available data is akin to learning is a bold one. It positions the startup as a digital disciple, absorbing knowledge from its environment. The RIAA, on the other hand, views the company as a digital thief, plundering the creative output of others.

The outcome of this case will have far-reaching implications for the music industry and the broader tech world. If Suno prevails, it could open the floodgates for AI companies to freely use copyrighted material as training data. However, if the RIAA wins, it could stifle innovation and create a chilling effect on AI development.