ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus delivered the opening keynote at the United Nations AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva on July 13. He called for creators to have consent and compensation when their work trains AI systems. Ulvaeus used the ABBA Voyage show as an example of ethical AI use.
Ulvaeus, who also serves as CISAC president, told attendees that AI is good only when the people whose work enables it are not erased, give consent and share in its benefits. He said one extra chair should always be reserved at the table for creators.
The musician highlighted ABBA Voyage in London, which uses motion capture and machine learning with the band's full participation and payment. He noted that the project works because artists were involved from the start.
Ulvaeus proposed collective licensing models like Spotify to ensure creators receive a share of AI subscription revenue. He stressed that payment should cover training data rather than individual outputs.
Other speakers at the summit included John Legend, who echoed calls for policies that protect creators and keep artistic careers viable.
