The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) invited societies from around the world to join together in Paris for CISAC’s annual general assembly and celebration of its 100th anniversary. CISAC has 227 global society members, including SOCAN. The event featured panel discussions on creativity and technology, presentations on issues impacting music creators, and the announcement of The Paris Commitment, a global declaration of principles dedicated to protecting human-made culture in the age of AI.
The assembly opened with remarks from current CISAC president and ABBA member, Björn Ulvaeus. He reflected on current legal and policy conversations happening in the United Kingdom and Europe, the work of defending and insisting upon creator rights, and how technology will never be able to reproduce the lived experiences that drive our most beloved musical moments.
At the end of the conference, CISAC unveiled The Paris Commitment, four principles in a shared global declaration to support human-made creative works.
Those principles are:
1. Creativity is a fundamental human endeavour and must be actively protected.
2. Innovation must strengthen—not weaken—creative value.
3. Collective management is essential to a fair and sustainable creative ecosystem.
4. Governments and decision-makers must act to safeguard the future of creativity.
The declaration states: “At a time when rapid advancements in artificial intelligence risk undermining the value of creative work, we affirm a shared responsibility: human creativity must be protected, respected, and sustained as a defining force of expression, culture, identity and progress.”
Learn more about CISAC’s Paris Commitment and add your name to show your support for its principles.