UK Proposes Copyright Reforms to Support AI, Creative Industries

The UK government has launched a consultation to explore ways to protect the rights of artists, writers and composers when using creative content to train artificial intelligence models. The goal is to give creators control over their copyrighted material while promoting technological innovation.

one proposal Artificial intelligence developers such as OpenAI and Google have been asked to be transparent about what creative materials they use and how they obtain them. It will also allow rights holders to opt out of work used to train models or enter into licensing agreements with their consent.

Although there are many authorized transaction While deals have been struck between tech companies and artists, the government says many creators are unable to do so under the current copyright system and need additional support.

At the same time, the proposal wants to ensure tech companies “have access to high-quality materials to train the UK’s leading AI models and support innovation across the UK AI industry.” It recommends creating an exception to UK law, which currently prohibits the use of artificial intelligence in the future. Copyrighted material is used with permission to train business models. The change is intended to give AI companies clearer understanding of what materials they can legally use.

“Currently, uncertainty about how copyright law applies to artificial intelligence is preventing both fields from reaching their full potential. This can make it difficult for creators to control or seek payment for the use of their works and create legal risks for AI companies , inhibiting investment, innovation and adoption of artificial intelligence,” the government said in a press release.

The consultation will last until February 25, 2025, and will be led by the Intellectual Property Bureau. Opinions on copyright protection will also be solicited. The Art of Artificial Intelligence Generating and the personality rights of public figures in the context of deepfakes or voice cloning. In May, OpenAI was criticized for using a voice nearly identical to Scarlett Johansson’s in one of its projects. GPT-4o Presentation without her consent.

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UK technology minister Peter Keir said in a press release that the focus is on “balancing strong protections for creators while removing barriers to AI innovation.”

“It is clear that our current artificial intelligence and copyright framework does not support our creative industries or artificial intelligence sector to compete on the global stage,” he added.

Creative industries unhappy with proposals

The creative industries have yet to respond favorably to these proposals. Association of Independent Musicians “Follow now” On how the opt-out system works in practice for artists. music producers council says “The express consent of the music producer must always be obtained,” The licensing agreement should allow them to “be fairly compensated for their contributions.”

Several well-known musicians, including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, have recently expressed concern about how artificial intelligence companies are using copyright protections without permission expressed concern about the work.

Dr Joe Twist, chief executive of the UK Recording Industry, said: music week: “We continue to believe that copyright exceptions will bring the artificial intelligence and creative industries closer to agreement on effective licensing models; in fact, we believe it will further disincentivize technology companies from doing so.

Dan Conway, chief executive of the Publishers Association, agreed, saying in a statement statement “There has been no objective case for new copyright exceptions, nor watertight rights retention procedures outlined around the world.”

Baroness Beeban Kidron, crossbench MP, expert on artificial intelligence ethics and former film producer The Guardian She was “very disappointed” with the proposals because they would allow AI companies to “evade responsibility.”

TechUK, the UK’s technology trade association, on the other hand, “welcomes the government’s commitment to finding solutions to create a competitive and supportive environment for the UK’s technology and creative industries,” according to its statement. statement. “It’s in everyone’s interest to address these issues in a way that supports innovation and growth.”

Launching coalition urges government to protect copyright laws

The consultation comes one day after the launch of the Creative Rights Alliance for Artificial Intelligence, which advocates for the UK government to protect copyright law and create a vibrant licensing market. Members include BPI and organizations representing authors, illustrators, publishers and photographers.

The Artificial Intelligence Creative Rights Alliance made three demands to the government. The first is to maintain existing copyright laws so that intellectual property owners have exclusive rights to their works, including controlling the licenses of artificial intelligence companies.

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“We must ensure that generative AI companies have the responsibility to seek licenses and engage with rights holders to agree on licenses,” the alliance said noted on its website. “Just as tech companies are willing to pay for the vast amounts of electricity that power their data centers, they must also be content to pay for high-quality copyrighted works that are critical to training and grounding accurate GAI models.”

It added that clear and strong copyright laws would incentivize AI companies to pay artists for their content, ensuring that original training materials and AI-generated works remain of high quality.

The second and third requirements are for governments to ensure that creators receive transparent information about how their content is used for AI development and to support policies that balance the protection of creative rights with the advancement of AI technology.

This week’s proposal does indeed cover these principles. However, it remains to be seen whether they will be enough to sustain the alliance. Many members, including the Publishers Association and the Author Licensing and Collections Association, have said they will take part in the consultations. TechRepublic has contacted the alliance for a statement.