Epidemic Sound says AI’s next creative test is trust

Epidemic Sound predicts that the next phase of artificial intelligence adoption across creative industries in 2027 will be shaped by expectations around human creativity, trust and control. Its year-end report found strong expectations of increased use alongside concerns about quality and rights, and strong support for human-created work.

The report, “Creativity in Motion: The Signals, Shifts, and Strategies Taking Us from 2026 into 2027,” drew on online research conducted by Sapio Research in March and April among 4,500 people in the UK and United States. The sample included 3,000 professional content creators, 1,000 music artists and 500 brand representatives.

Seventy-three percent of respondents expected to increase their AI use over the next year, while 69% said the technology was increasing opportunities in their profession. Fifty-eight percent said they had used AI for workflow support in 2026.

The findings also pointed to limits on enthusiasm. Only 66% said AI-generated content currently met their expectations for creative quality. Eighty-three percent said human-created music or sound strengthened emotional connections with audiences, and 76% said human-created content was becoming a premium offering.

Transparency was a central concern. Seventy-six percent of the full sample said disclosure of AI use was essential for trust. Among artists, 98% placed importance on permission before AI systems used their music or voice, while 89% said control over their music, data and creative identity would define their long-term success.

Artists also reported concerns about synthetic music’s effects on their work. Forty-seven percent cited fully AI-generated tracks released without disclosure as a concern, 44% worried about replication of their voice or style, and 42% about systems trained on their work without permission. Seventy-eight percent said audiences should know whether content was human-made or AI-generated.

The commercial stakes extended beyond artists. Seventy-nine percent of brands said getting sound wrong in branded content could materially affect revenue, brand perception or campaign return on investment. Eighty-three percent worried their past use of music and sound would not withstand a formal audit, while 56% had faced copyright or takedown issues in the previous two years.

Creators, meanwhile, saw licensing clarity as a business issue: 73% said unclear music licensing could limit future opportunities. The report’s conclusion was that AI creates value when it is used transparently and with consent, and that its most useful role is to amplify original human ideas across formats and channels.

As reported in October, a panel at Billboard Latin Music Week considered whether rules on copyright, consent and licensing can protect creators if synthetic music begins to replace their work. The U.S. Copyright Office has described dozens of pending US cases over whether training generative AI on copyrighted material qualifies as fair use, with debate centring on whether licensing requirements would constrain development or unlicensed training would harm the creative ecosystem.