Latest news with #creativeIndustry
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
BBC and Sky bosses criticise plans to let AI firms use copyrighted material
The BBC director general and the boss of Sky have criticised proposals to let tech firms use copyright-protected work without permission, as the government promised that artificial intelligence legislation will not destroy the £125bn creative sector. The creative industry has said that original proposals published in a consultation in February to give AI companies access to creative works unless the copyright holder opts out would 'scrape the value' out of the sector. Dana Strong, the group chief executive of Sky, compared the proposal to its own battles against TV piracy and said individuals and small companies would not have the experience and financial resources to protect their intellectual property. 'Sky is one of the leading forces in trying to fight against piracy,' she said, speaking at the Deloitte and Enders Media and Telecoms conference. 'As I look ahead to artificial intelligence protecting copyright is a very big issue, and I think some of the consequences of the opt out is impossible to police. If we as a large organisation spend the resource we do fighting for intellectual property rights, I can't fathom how small producers keep up with a change of that nature. It is impossible to head in that direction.' Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC, said the government needs to put protections in place because the industry faces a potential crisis as the consultation drags on. 'If we currently drift in the way we are doing now we will be in crisis,' he said. 'We need to make quick decisions now around areas like … protection of IP. We need to protect our national intellectual property, that is where the value is. What do I need? IP protection, come on let's get on with it.' The industry would like to see an opt-in regime, forcing AI companies to seek permission and strike licensing deals with copyright holders before they can use the content to train their models. In response, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, sought to allay fears and said she and Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, would begin roundtable discussions with the creative industries to ensure legislation does not harm the sector. 'We have heard you loud and clear,' she told the 800 attendees at the conference. 'We are determined to find a way forward that works for the creative industry and creators as well as the tech industries. The issue of AI and copyright needs to be properly considered and enforceable legislation drafted with the inclusion, involvement and experience of both creatives and technologists.' Last month, the government faced accusations of being too close to big tech after analysis showed Kyle and his department met people close to, or representing the sector, 28 times in a six month period. The government has already drawn up some concessions - including promising to carry out an economic impact assessment of its proposed copyright changes, and to publish reports on issues including transparency, licensing and access to data for AI developers - following a backlash from some of the UK's best-known creators, including Elton John and Paul McCartney. 'We approach you with no preferred option in mind,' Nandy said. 'We are a Labour government, and the principle [that] people must be paid for their work is foundational. You have our word that if it doesn't work for the creative industries, it will not work for us.'
The Verge
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill' the AI industry
As policy makers in the UK weigh how to regulate the AI industry, Nick Clegg, former UK deputy prime minister and former Meta executive, claimed a push for artist consent would 'basically kill' the AI industry. Speaking at an event promoting his new book, Clegg said the creative community should have the right to opt out of having their work used to train AI models. But he claimed it wasn't feasible to ask for consent before ingesting their work first. 'I think the creative community wants to go a step further,' Clegg said according to The Times. 'Quite a lot of voices say, 'You can only train on my content, [if you] first ask'. And I have to say that strikes me as somewhat implausible because these systems train on vast amounts of data.' 'I just don't know how you go around, asking everyone first. I just don't see how that would work,' Clegg said. 'And by the way if you did it in Britain and no one else did it, you would basically kill the AI industry in this country overnight.' The comments follow a back-and-forth in Parliament over new legislation that aims to give creative industries more insight into how their work is used by AI companies. An amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill would require technology companies to disclose what copyrighted works were used to train AI models. Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa, Elton John, and Andrew Lloyd Webber are among the hundreds of musicians, writers, designers, and journalists who signed an open letter in support of the amendment earlier in May. The amendment — introduced by Beeban Kidron, who is also a film producer and director — has bounced around gaining support. But on Thursday members of parliament rejected the proposal, with technology secretary Peter Kyle saying the 'Britain's economy needs both [AI and creative] sectors to succeed and to prosper.' Kidron and others have said a transparency requirement would allow copyright law to be enforced, and that AI companies would be less likely to 'steal' work in the first place if they are required to disclose what content they used to train models.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Labour's AI plans 'a total mess' as Keir Starmer is warned to 'change course' and protect Britain's world-leading creative industry
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned to 'change course' and protect Britain's world-leading creative industry ahead of a crunch vote in the Commons today. Labour peers defied the PM this week to push through an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that gives artists, writers and creators greater protection from the threat of AI. But Sir Keir is expected to whip MPs to remove it when the Bill returns to the Commons, despite Britain's creative industries urging him to rethink. The Tories have pledged to back the amendment that forces Big Tech to reveal when they have used creators' work. Conservative science, innovation and technology spokesman Alan Mak said: 'Labour's approach to AI and copyright law is a total mess. 'With the right policy framework and investment, the UK can lead the world in AI while safeguarding our cultural heritage. 'We urge the Government to change course now or risk their entire Bill collapsing.' British songs, films, paintings and news articles are protected under UK copyright law. The Daily Mail has called on Labour to do more to protect the creative industries from being exploited by AI But a government consultation said its 'preferred option' would see tech firms given an 'exception' that allows them to access UK music, films, books and more to train generative AI models without permission or payment, unless creators 'opt-out' of letting them. The Daily Mail has called on Labour to drop its preference.
Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Elton John is right to protest against AI's pillaging of his work
In April 1710 Queen Anne gave her assent to legislation protecting London publishers from literary piracy. What became known as the Statute of Anne was this country's first foray into the law of intellectual property. For more than three centuries, writers of novels, scripts, music and factual reports, as well as visual artists and others, have relied on the protection afforded by copyright to prevent the greedy and the unscrupulous from stealing their work and profiting thereby. This protection still forms the bedrock of Britain's thriving creative sector, worth more than £120 billion a year. Now, however, this vital industry is facing the threat of its output being pillaged by tech companies that want to pay nothing for its use. This practice involves music, text
