Overview
- McCartney contributed a near-silent bonus track to Is This What We Want?, a compilation protesting unauthorized AI training on creative works.
- Organizers announced a limited vinyl reissue for December 8 with 1,000 copies to amplify the campaign.
- The album assembles mostly silent recordings from more than 1,000 musicians, with contributors reported to include Sam Fender, Kate Bush, Hans Zimmer, Pet Shop Boys, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, Jamiroquai and Max Richter.
- The new track features tape hiss, faint noises and scattered whispers to symbolize fears that AI could silence original music.
- Artists are responding to reports of 2026 legislation under consideration by the Labour government that could permit AI training on protected works without authorization or compensation, and McCartney has warned of harm to young composers.