Discord Server AI Hub Taken Down Following RIAA Copyright Complaint

Over the summer, the RIAA asked Discord to shut down a popular server called AI Hub due to copyright issues relating to voice clones and AI. The server is now gone, but it's unclear why and whether or not it made a difference.

What is it? AI Hub, which had over 500,000 members at one time, was a server whose members shared and distributed copyrighted music, including reported voice clones of artists that could be used to create deepfake songs.

In June, the RIAA asked Discord to shut down the server with a subpoena citing songs by artists like Mariah Carey, Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more in instances where copyrighted music was shared with the model.

"We have learned that Discord is operating and/or hosting the below-referenced Discord servers on its network," the document read. "This server(s) is/are dedicated to infringing our members’ copyrighted sound recordings by offering, selling, linking to, hosting, streaming, or distributing files containing members’ sound recordings without authorization."

The subpoena gave Discord until June 30 to respond, and the server has now been shut down, though no reason was given as to why and whether it was in response to the RIAA's complaint.

Guess who's back: Though the original server has been taken down, there's already another ready to take its place, as a new server has originated with the same invitation link. The moderator of the new server wrote that "AI Hub was banned because of copyright, apparently someone did the trick of editing posts and added several links with copyrighted content, which left Discord with no option but to DMCA the server," though the statement has not been confirmed.

The removal of the server is yet another small battle in the world of AI and copyright, and it's unclear whether the RIAA's ask will make much of a difference in the long run thanks to the regenerative powers of the internet.