A sentence in a BBC news article stirred up the Korean music industry on July 11. The article, titled “Will K-Pop’s AI Experiments Pay Off?” highlighted the increasing use of AI in Korean music production, focusing on the group Seventeen.
The BBC noted that the music video for Seventeen’s new song “Maestro,” released in April, featured graphics seemingly generated by AI. It also suggested that AI might have been used in the songwriting process, citing member Woozi’s comments about “experimenting” with AI in music creation.
Following the BBC report, Seventeen quickly denied these claims. Woozi, the group’s member and a producer, said on his Instagram on July 14, “All of Seventeen’s music is written and composed by human creators.”
Fans of Seventeen expressed their frustration by copying Woozi’s message in the comments section of the “Maestro” music video.
After Pledis Entertainment requested a correction, the BBC removed the part of the article mentioning AI’s involvement in songwriting.
While the BBC’s report on Seventeen was resolved as a misunderstanding, it underscored the growing use of AI in content creation in the music industry.
AI-based music production programs are now readily available, allowing even amateurs to create songs and write lyrics easily.
However, this rise in AI-generated content has brought significant copyright concerns. Artists, composers and lyricists are increasingly worried about AI encroaching on their domain. Currently, there are no legal standards, making disputes inevitable.
According to the Korean Copyright Act, a work is defined as “a creative production that expresses human thoughts and emotions.”
For songs, copyright is granted if the sound recording is recognized as a work, and only then can it be registered with the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA). 스포츠 Registered songs can generate revenue from streaming.
Music created by AI is not recognized as a work since the creator is not “human.” For instance, in 2022, AI composer EvoM had six of its songs registered with KOMCA, but their copyright payments were later suspended when it was discovered that the compositions were AI-generated.
Since AI-created songs are not legally considered works, they are not protected from replication or plagiarism.
