The UK government ran a copyright consultation proposing significant changes to how creative works can be used by artificial intelligence technologies. Following the model of Creative Commons licenses, the consultation sets out four potential options, with a preferred approach that would allow AI companies to train on creative works and provide a mechanism for creators to opt out of such use.
The consultation generated unprecedented public engagement, with over 2,500 responses received before the deadline of February 25, 2025. The results have not yet been published.
The UK government has three main objectives: to protect rights holders' control over content and compensation, to support the development of AI models through lawful data access, and to promote transparency between the creative and AI sectors. Essentially, the UK government is trying to regulate AI inputs and AI model outputs. The government proposes an exception that would apply to commercial and non-commercial purposes, while allowing rights holders to reserve their rights. This approach is intended to support flexibility in the organization of work in the AI sector.
Baroness Beeban Kidron, a prominent crossbench peer, revealed that the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has been "overwhelmed" by the public response. Interestingly, the IPO is considering using AI to help summarize the massive volume of submissions, raising questions about the consultation's methodology!
Beeban Kidron, an accomplished filmmaker and peer, argued that the consultation is fundamentally "rigged" in favor of AI companies and could potentially result in a "wholesale transfer of wealth" from the creative industries to the tech sector, raising serious concerns about the fairness of the proposed approach.
The economic stakes are significant. The UK's creative industries contribute £126 billion to the economy and employ 2.4 million people. Any changes to copyright law could have a profound impact on this vital sector, potentially reshaping how creators are compensated and how their work is used in the emerging AI landscape.
To address these concerns, the UK government is proposing the introduction of entrepreneurial red tape, including transparency requirements for AI developers. These include mandatory disclosure of training datasets, detailed record-keeping, and potential labeling of AI-generated content. On the other hand, Kidron has proposed specific changes to protect creative rights. These include requiring AI companies to comply with UK copyright law regardless of their location, ensuring transparency about how copyrighted material is used, and requiring the identification of web crawlers that scrape creative content for AI training.
The consultation also addressed emerging challenges such as deepfake technologies, recognizing the complex legal landscape surrounding digital replicas of individuals. Legal experts see this consultation as a timely and necessary intervention. The current intellectual property landscape surrounding AI is characterized by uncertainty, with ongoing litigation and debate about the extent to which existing copyright laws can accommodate rapidly advancing technologies.
More than 1,000 musicians have united to create "Is This What We Want?", an album that speaks volumes about the potential consequences of unrestricted artificial intelligence use in creative fields.
The album is a unique artistic statement, consisting entirely of recordings made in empty studios and performance spaces. These silent, haunting tracks symbolize the musicians' fear of a future in which AI could potentially replace human creativity without proper compensation or recognition. By capturing the absence of sound, the musicians powerfully illustrate the potential void that could be created by unchecked AI development.
Featuring an extraordinary lineup of artists ranging from legendary performers like Annie Lennox and Kate Bush to acclaimed composers such as Hans Zimmer, the album represents a remarkable cross-section of musical talent. From classical musicians to pop stars, rock legends to indie artists, the collective represents a unified voice against proposed legislative changes that could fundamentally undermine artists' intellectual property rights.
Earlier in 2024, over 47,536 artists, musicians, writers, actors, and creative professionals signed a landmark statement condemning the unlicensed use of creative works in artificial intelligence training. The statement boldly declares that such practices represent a "major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works" and must be categorically rejected.
The initiative attracted an extraordinary cross-section of global creative talent, bringing together luminaries from multiple disciplines. Renowned novelists like Sir Kazuo Ishiguro and Kate Mosse stand alongside musicians such as Thom Yorke and Robert Smith, while celebrated actors including Julianne Moore, Hugh Bonneville, and Kevin Bacon have added their voices to the collective protest. This diverse coalition underscores the widespread concern about AI's potential to undermine creative intellectual property.
Images: uk.gov & Wikimedia
