BMI and BMAC Present a Panel on AI’s Opportunities and Challenges for Music Creators

On Wednesday, September 18, BMI hosted BMAC (Black Music Action Coalition) at its LA office for a conversation about the opportunities and challenges that AI presents to the creative community. Moderated by Prophet (President & CEO, BMAC) and Shay Lawson (Head of Policy, BMAC and Founder & Managing Attorney, Lawson McKinley), the panel featured music and AI industry leaders including Harvey Mason, Jr. (CEO, The Recording Academy), Michael Collins (VP, Government Relations, BMI),Kathleen Grace (CCO, Vermillio) and Dina LaPolt (Founder & Owner, LaPolt Law/Co-Founder & Board Member, SONA). BMI’s President & CEO, Mike O’Neill, welcomed the esteemed guests before handing over the mic to co-moderators Prophet and Lawson, who led a thought-provoking discussion, with the panel consensus supporting the ethical use of AI, agreeing that the industry needs to work together to mitigate any negative impact that AI has on the human creative community whose work made these innovations possible. Panelists also emphasized that while AI is a powerful tool, the irreplaceable value of human experience and connection remains paramount and will ultimately prevail in the creative landscape.

Some of the evening’s guests included BMI rapper/songwriter Flavor Flav, and many from BMAC’s leadership board including Kevin Shivers (Partner, WME), Cortez Bryant (Co-CEO Blueprint Group), Max Gousse (Artistry Group and Def Jam), Marcus Hunter (UCLA professor behind the Black Lives Matter movement), Erin McAnnally (SONA) and Dr. Menna Demessie (SVP, UMG and Executive Director, Taskforce for Meaningful Change), to name a few.