On April 1st, the renowned Chinese music artist Zhou Shen released the theme song "Yue Zhi Ji" for the historical fantasy drama "Yue Lin Qi Ji," and clearly marked a copyright notice in the song's prelude and lyrics stating "Prohibited for use in Artificial Intelligence (AI) training." This move became a typical case of setting copyright boundaries for AI technology at the time of the work's release, marking a new stage in the protection of vocal rights and creative sovereignty by musicians in the "digital defense" era.
The statement details: it is strictly prohibited to use or publish the work in any way (including covers, recordings, remixes, etc.) without the written permission of the copyright holder; the work is strictly prohibited from being used for AI training, imitation, learning, and generation activities without authorization. This move directly addresses the growing prevalence of "AI cloned voice lines" and "algorithmic song washing" in the industry. Zhou Shen had previously expressed a rational perspective on AI technology in public, emphasizing that although AI can achieve extreme precision through algorithms, it cannot replicate the "vivid emotions" and artistic soul that humans refine through repeated efforts in singing.
In 2026, as AI music entered commercial exploration, this "hardcore" declaration not only built a technical firewall for original voices but also provided a standardized model for the legal authorization of AI training data. Industry experts believe that this approach of locking down the intention of infringement at the source of the work will significantly reduce the burden of evidence in subsequent copyright protection. With the leading artists setting an example, the music industry is accelerating the construction of a legal consensus on the boundaries of human-machine collaboration, reiterating that irreplaceable human emotions remain the core moat of artistic creation amidst the technological surge.
