UK music regulations lag behind AI threats, study finds

A study from Queen’s University Belfast warns that musicians are being “squeezed out” and “marginalised” by the rise of artificial intelligence. Researcher Dr. Katherine Pittalis argues that the UK’s music regulatory framework is “woefully lagging behind” that of the US and EU regarding transparency and controls over malicious bot technologies.

The research highlights several sophisticated threats, including “metric bots” used to inflate social media engagement and “artificial musicians” that combine deepfake technology with bots to create AI influencers. The study also notes an increase in scams on secondary ticket market platforms, where consumers have lost significant sums of money to non-existent concert tickets.

Additionally, the research found that unregulated social media groups and even certain misinformation-combatting tools, such as “community notes,” are being impacted by bot activity. Dr. Pittalis suggests that as bots evolve to circumvent existing rules on streaming and ticketing platforms, the lack of oversight creates a “depressing picture” for industry participants and consumers alike.