Arooj Aftab backs UMAW push demanding fair pay for AI training on artists' music

Grammy-winning Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has publicly called for musicians to be fairly compensated whenever their recordings are used to train AI models or generate new music.

In two Instagram stories published on 2026-10-22, Aftab amplified campaign messages from United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), a trade union representing music industry professionals, calling for transparency, proper labelling of AI-generated music, and fair remuneration. The first post argued that AI-generated recordings should be clearly labelled by software developers, labels, studios, distributors and retailers so listeners can distinguish AI-made music from human recordings. Aftab wrote: "Even if you don't use AI to make music - it is going to use your music to make AI music!! So let's get the rules right and get on with it."

In the second story, Aftab argued compensation should cover both the initial use of music to train AI models and subsequent generation from that training. "The artist should be paid bec AI has already used my music to train itself, aka usage," she wrote, adding that artists should also be paid whenever AI draws on that learning to produce new music, which she called "derivative work."

The accompanying UMAW campaign calls on the US Congress to pass the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which seeks direct payments to human recording artists for the use of their music.

This is an advocacy/campaign item, not a lawsuit or licensing deal. No specific AI company is named as a defendant; the fair-pay demand is directed at AI developers and the music industry generally. It is analogous in kind to the AFM "Human Made, Human Paid" campaign item published on 2026-10-23.