The growing use of artificial intelligence in the music industry is raising alarm bells among Indigenous artists and intellectual property experts, as Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music is increasingly being absorbed into AI training datasets without consent.
The issue has gained fresh attention after reports revealed that works by prominent Māori artists, including Stan Walker, Six60, Maisey Rika, Marlon Williams and taonga pūoro practitioner Horomona Horo, appear to have been included in datasets used to train AI systems.
Indigenous intellectual property and copyright expert Lynell Tuffery Huria says the concerns extend far beyond traditional copyright issues, touching on questions of cultural authority, ownership and the protection of Indigenous knowledge.
Unlike conventional copyright infringement, which typically centres on the unauthorised reproduction of individual works, the use of Indigenous music in AI systems raises broader concerns around Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). These rights encompass not only songs and recordings but also language, stories, cultural expressions, traditional knowledge and collective ownership held by communities across generations.
For Māori, the issue is particularly significant because many waiata, compositions and taonga pūoro traditions are deeply connected to whakapapa, tikanga and cultural identity. The extraction of those works by AI systems without permission raises concerns about cultural misuse, misrepresentation and the loss of control over how Indigenous knowledge is shared and reproduced.
While existing copyright laws provide some protection for recorded works, legal experts argue significant gaps remain when it comes to safeguarding Indigenous cultural expressions from AI training processes. Current legislation was largely developed before the emergence of generative artificial intelligence and often struggles to address collective cultural ownership or the use of material by machine learning systems.
Calls are growing for stronger protections, including clearer consent requirements, transparency around training datasets, recognition of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights in law, and compensation mechanisms for artists and communities whose works are used.
There are also increasing demands for governments, technology companies and the music industry to develop policies that recognise Indigenous data sovereignty and ensure Māori and other Indigenous peoples retain authority over how their cultural materials are accessed and used.
As AI technology rapidly evolves, many Indigenous advocates warn that the conversation is no longer simply about copyright. It is about protecting cultural heritage, preserving Indigenous identity and ensuring future generations retain control over their stories, languages and artistic traditions in a digital world.
The debate is expected to intensify as lawmakers and industry leaders grapple with how to balance innovation with the rights of Indigenous creators and communities.
