Universal Music and two other record labels have filed a lawsuit against the AI startup Anthropic, accusing it of illegitimately using artists' songs to generate similar lyrics through its chatbot Claude.

Anthropic's technology reportedly regurgitates "identical or nearly identical" lyrics upon request, an action argued by Universal as infringement due to lack of licensing. This legal action highlights the music industry's struggle with balancing AI innovation and copyright protection.

In May, industry leaders like Universal CEO Lucian Grainge emphasized the necessity of curating digital content to preserve the integrity of artist-audience connections and improve user experiences. Meanwhile, platforms like Spotify took steps to remove AI-generated songs amidst suspicions of "artificial streaming" activities.

Despite legal confrontations, Universal Music isn't shunning AI altogether. Initiatives like the YouTube Music AI Incubator, launched in partnership with YouTube, suggest a path where AI could support artistic creativity.