Sony Music Group has joined the Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media, the AI policy coalition better known as ARIAM.
It is the first music company to join the group, which launched in June 2026 with members drawn from film, television, journalism, publishing, education, and technology.
The announcement was made on Wednesday (September 23) by Victoria Furniss, ARIAM’s Executive Director and CEO.
Sony Music Group says the coalition is focused on advancing responsible AI across the creative and media sectors.
“Generative AI presents significant opportunities and challenges for artists and songwriters, which is why we are pleased to join ARIAM to help shape how it fits into the future of all corners of the creative industries,” said Kevin Kelleher, Chief Operating Officer, Sony Music Entertainment. “Only when developed in a responsible and ethical way that puts the value of human artistry at its heart, will AI have the potential to create an environment where innovation, creators, and consumers all thrive.
“Generative AI presents significant opportunities and challenges for artists and songwriters, which is why we are pleased to join ARIAM to help shape how it fits into the future of all corners of the creative industries.”
Kevin Kelleher, Sony Music Entertainment
“Sony Music Group has an unwavering commitment to protecting music, and we see every day how art inspires, shapes culture and powers this industry and more. We wholeheartedly share ARIAM’s view that a healthy licensing environment, where responsible AI companies proactively partner with rightsholders, is the only foundation for getting this right.”
Sony Music Group joins members including The Walt Disney Company, Fox Entertainment, ITV, the BBC, Adobe, Advance, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Condé Nast, the Financial Times, The New York Times, Reach plc, and Wiley.
“We’re very excited to welcome Sony Music Group as the first music company to join ARIAM,” said Furniss. “The issues surrounding AI affect all parts of the creative community and music is an integral part of that conversation.
“Sony Music Group embodies our organization’s principles and brings a valuable perspective to our work as we look for ways to support innovation while protecting creativity, the people behind it and audiences.”
“The issues surrounding AI affect all parts of the creative community and music is an integral part of that conversation.”
Victoria Furniss, ARIAM
ARIAM says it was set up to work across the content and technology sectors on legal and policy frameworks that are “responsibility-by-design,” arguing for protections that cover consumers – children in particular – as well as creators, rather than focusing on copyright alone.
The coalition describes itself as a first-of-its-kind global coalition spanning content sectors, and says its mission is to ensure that AI is “developed and deployed responsibly, sustainably and for the betterment of all society.”
ARIAM launched on June 15, 2026, headquartered in Los Angeles and led by Furniss, a former Netflix and Warner Bros. executive.
“ARIAM’s goal is not to slow AI down but to ensure it is able to sustain the broader ecosystems long term,” Furniss said at the time.
Sony Music Entertainment is the only major music company that has not struck a licensing agreement with either Suno or Udio.
The company sued Udio for a second time on July 20 in New York federal court, asserting 30,117 sound recordings it says the AI company copied without permission to train its models.
Five days before the ARIAM announcement, on September 18, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group sued Suno for a second time in Boston federal court, over 60,202 recordings.
Kelleher has been Chief Operating Officer of Sony Music Entertainment since April 2017, having joined the company in 1992.
ARIAM says it is planning member events during 2026, including council meetings, leader roundtables, and an annual summit.Music Business Worldwide
