John Legend and Universal Music Group executives established a critical policy framework for artist compensation and copyright protection during a high-stakes panel at the United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. The session, titled “The Sound of Intelligence,” brought together leaders from Udio, Stability AI, Splice, and NVIDIA to address how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping music discovery, creation, and fan engagement while threatening creator livelihoods.
UMG’s New AI Partnership Model
The panel highlighted a strategic pivot for Universal Music Group, which has moved from litigation to licensing with key AI firms over the past year. UMG Chief Digital Officer Michael Nash joined the discussion alongside executives from four companies the label recently partnered with: Udio, Stability AI, Splice, and NVIDIA. These deals represent a new industry standard where AI platforms must license content and remunerate artists for training data. Udio, which UMG previously sued for copyright infringement in 2024, settled the case in October 2025 and agreed to launch a licensed AI music platform. Stability AI formed a strategic alliance with UMG in October 2025 to develop creation tools, while Splice struck a similar deal in December 2025. NVIDIA partnered with UMG in January 2026 on AI for music creation and discovery. Nash emphasized that UMG’s philosophy centers on defending artist rights and advancing their interests as the foundation for all commercial opportunities.
Legislating Protection for Working Musicians
Legend argued that protecting creators through policy is essential to keeping music a viable career, stating that the industry requires new systems, structures, and protections to ensure working musicians can make a living. He noted that AI has “penetrated into our business” with many artists using it in healthy ways to bring shortcuts and augmentations to their work. However, he urged musicians not to forget the core of what makes them interesting and special. The EGOT winner stressed that society must treasure great art by requiring policy that protects creators. Kakul Srivastava of Splice confirmed their model remunerates original artists when their samples are shaped for AI tools, calling it the first company to do this at scale. Meanwhile, Stability AI CEO Prem Akkaraju highlighted that their team consists entirely of musicians and producers, ensuring an artist-centric product development process.
The Future of Human Artistry
The discussion concluded with a consensus that AI should function as an actionable assistant rather than a replacement for human creativity. NVIDIA’s Richard Kerris described AI as a tool to be played with and experimented with to bring excitement, while maintaining that creativity goes hand in hand with control. The summit also featured a keynote from the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, which called for works used to train generative AI to be licensed with creators receiving a share of subscription revenues. This aligns with Legend’s call for regulatory bodies to catch up with technology to protect intellectual property and decision-making around image and likeness. UMG continues to litigate against rival AI firm Suno, which was sued alongside Udio in 2024, signaling that the transition to licensed AI is not yet universal across the sector.
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