SoundCloud logo. Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images
SoundCloud has issued a statement in response to an article in Futurism, which highlighted a clause in SoundCloud’s terms of use permitting all uploads to be used as training material for AI models.
The clause in question was allegedly added in February 2024. It reads in part: “In the absence of a separate agreement that states otherwise, You explicitly agree that your Content may be used to inform, train, develop or serve as input to artificial intelligence or machine intelligence technologies or services as part of and for providing the services.”
In a statement obtained by Pitchfork, SoundCloud said the company has “never used artist content to train AI models” and claims the terms of service update “was intended to clarify how content may interact with Al technologies within SoundCloud’s own platform.” These technologies “include personalized recommendations, content organization, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification.”
SoundCloud has never used artist content to train Al models, nor do we develop Al tools or allow third parties to scrape or use SoundCloud content from our platform for Al training purposes. In fact, we implemented technical safeguards, including a ‘no Aľ tag on our site to explicitly prohibit unauthorized use.
The February 2024 update to our terms of service was intended to clarify how content may interact with Al technologies within SoundCloud’s own platform. Use cases include personalized recommendations, content organization, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification with the help of Al technologies.
Any future application of Al at SoundCloud will be designed to support human artists, enhancing the tools, capabilities, reach, and opportunities available to them on our platform. Examples include improving music recommendations, generating playlists, organizing content, and detecting fraudulent activity. These efforts are aligned with existing licensing agreements and ethical standards. Tools like Musiio are strictly used to power artist discovery and content organization, not to train generative Al models.
We understand the concerns raised and remain committed to open dialogue. Artists will continue to have control over their work, and we’ll keep our community informed every step of the way as we explore innovation and apply Al technologies responsibly, especially as legal and commercial frameworks continue to evolve.
SoundCloud has not entirely shut the door on increasing AI’s presence on the platform, including generative AI models. “Should we ever consider using user content to train generative AI models,” the company told The Verge in a separate statement, “we would introduce clear opt-out mechanisms in advance — at a minimum — and remain committed to transparency with our creator community.”
