Artful Dodger soundtrack composer asked to fix AI music

In Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger is depicted as a cunning streetwise pickpocket working within a London criminal gang. Composer Antony Partos, the co-founder of Sydney-based Sonar Music, has been approached by advertising firms to recreate music generated by artificial intelligence for commercial use. Partos, who has been honored with numerous awards as Australia's most acclaimed film composer, expressed his dismay over the situation, stating that it is "unconscionable behaviour" to legitimize AI-generated soundtracks produced from unauthorized copyright material.

Cornel Wilczek, the vice president of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, who scored hit films like Bring Her Back and Talk To Me, reported a decline in advertising gigs in 2025. He attributed this to the popularity of AI music programs such as Suno, which led to a decrease in available projects. Wilczek reported that clients often request assistance in making AI-generated tracks sound more human.

This trend, coupled with shrinking advertising budgets, has compelled many composers to adopt a more cautious stance towards utilizing AI-generated music. The Australian AI Industry Group's chairman, Michael LeVene, emphasized the need to consider the concerns of screen composers regarding AI music, particularly the issues related to transparency, attribution, and professional integrity.

AI presents significant opportunities for the creative industries, but LeVene warned that these advancements should not come at the expense of existing intellectual property rights or the livelihoods of the artists whose work fuels such innovation. A parliamentary committee is set to examine the use of creative works without proper permission or compensation, highlighting the threat this poses to Australia's creative sector.