SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton has responded to backlash over the platform’s stance on AI as outlined in its Phrases Of Use.
Earlier this month, Futurism reported that SoundCloud “quietly” up to date its phrases and circumstances in February 2024 that may contain customers “explicitly agreeing” through the use of the platform to having their content material used to coach AI.
The coverage learn: “You explicitly agree that your Content material could also be used to tell, practice, develop, or function enter to synthetic intelligence applied sciences as a part of and for offering the providers.”
In response to the controversy on social media, Seton has clarified “how content material could work together with AI applied sciences inside SoundCloud’s personal platform”.
Soundcloud has determined to tarnish their legacy by…. utilizing your music to coach AI pic.twitter.com/3NuRrumih9
— Weaver Beats (@weaverbeats) Might 10, 2025
“SoundCloud has by no means used artist content material to coach AI fashions. Not for music creation. Not for big language fashions. Not for something that tries to imitate or substitute your work,” he mentioned.
“We don’t construct generative AI instruments, and we don’t enable third events to scrape or use artist content material from SoundCloud to coach them both.”
“Our place is easy: AI ought to help artists, not substitute them,” he added. “Any use of those instruments on SoundCloud will proceed to mirror that.”
Seton went on to clarify the updates to the Phrases Of Use final February had been meant to make clear how “we could use AI internally” to enhance SoundCloud for its customers, together with “powering smarter suggestions, search, playlisting, content material tagging, and instruments that assist forestall fraud”.
SoundCloud has now modified its Phrases Of Use, establishing that it’ll solely use AI-training on content material uploaded to the platform with customers’ consent.
The brand new coverage reads: “We is not going to use Your Content material to coach generative AI fashions that intention to copy or synthesize your voice, music, or likeness with out your specific consent, which have to be affirmatively offered by means of an opt-in mechanism.”