Britain’s creative industries must not be sacrificed for the benefit of speculation in AI technology, a House of Lords committee has warned, as the government prepares to reveal the economic cost of proposals to change copyright rules.
A report by peers has urged ministers to develop a licensing regime for the use of creative works in AI products and abandon proposals to let tech companies use the work of novelists, artists, writers and journalists without permission.
The call by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee comes as the government prepares to release an economic impact assessment of proposed changes to copyright law by the March 18 deadline, as well as a progress update on the consultation about the legal overhaul.
Labor peer and committee chair Barbara Kiely said Britain’s creative industries faced a “clear and present danger” from AI firms using their work without credit or payment.
“AI can contribute to our future economic growth, but the UK’s creative industries create jobs and economic value now,” he said. official figures show The creative sector contributes £146 billion A year on for the UK economy.
Lady Kiely said, “Reducing protections in our existing copyright regime to lure the biggest US tech companies is a race to the bottom that does not serve Britain’s interests. We should not sacrifice our creative industries for an AI jam tomorrow.”
The government is consulting on a new intellectual property framework for AI. The technology requires large amounts of data to develop tools such as chatbots and image generators, including copyright-protected works taken from the open web.
However, British artists have expressed outrage over a key government proposal to allow AI firms to use copyright-protected work without the owner’s permission – unless the owner has indicated they want to opt out of the process. Elton John is among the artists who have expressed opposition to the possibility of relaxing copyright laws, calling the government a “complete loser”.
The House of Lords report, titled “AI, copyright and the creative industries”, also urges the government to formally reject the proposal to let AI firms use copyright-protected content. Other recommendations include supporting the development of a licensing market that ensures artists are paid by tech companies for the use of their work; supporting UK-developed AI models; AI companies are required to disclose the data used to develop their products; and providing creators with greater rights-based protections against deepfakes.
As well as the main government proposal, ministers have suggested three further options: leaving the situation unchanged; AI companies will need to obtain a license to use copyrighted works; Or allowing AI firms to use copyrighted works without any opt-outs for creative companies and individuals.
The government has refused to grant copyright exemptions for using content for the purposes of “commercial research”, leading creative professionals to fear it could be exploited by AI firms to take artists’ work without permission. The notion of a commercial research exemption was raised in the Lords this week and Fiona Twycross, the minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said it would be “pre-emptive” to rule out any exceptions before the updated report is published.
A government spokesperson said: “The Government wants a copyright system that values and protects human creativity, can be trusted and unlocks innovation.
“We welcome the Committee’s contributions, and we will continue to engage closely with Parliament going forward.”
