The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), a UK music trade association, has issued a stern warning against the proposed changes to copyright law by the UK government, citing uncertainty around the application of current law to AI technology.
The BPI stated that the new consultation on AI and copyright could potentially “devalue” British artists and their supporting rights holders, thereby significantly undermining the UK music industry, as reported by City AM.
Jo Twist, CEO of the BPI, expressed her concerns: “The UK’s creative output and human creativity is being placed at risk by proposed changes to British copyright law, which would allow international tech giants to train AI models on artists’ work without payment or permission, and would be the wrong way to realise the exciting potential of AI.”
This statement follows the government’s recent launch of a consultation aimed at providing clarity to the creative industries and AI developers on the use of copyrighted material for training AI models. The government aims to strike a balance with its proposals, giving creators more control over how their material is used by AI developers and enhancing their ability to receive payment for its use.
However, the consultation also suggests introducing an exception to copyright law for commercial AI training. The consultation will run until 25 February 2025.
One of the central suggestions is an “opt-out” provision for text and data mining copyright exceptions, which would permit the use of content for AI system training unless rights holders have explicitly withheld their permission. The Prime Minister acknowledged to the Liaison Committee that the government views an opt-out as “the right proposal” for creators whose works are subject to scraping.
Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the culture, media and sport Select Committee, remarked on the policy’s indecisiveness: “In, out, in, out – it’s like the hokey cokey of policy making,” The BPI expressed gratitude towards Dinenage “for standing up for the UK’s £125bn-per-year creative industries” during a Commons debate on the copyright consultation. “Copyright is critical to British music’s global success, international tech giants can’t be allowed to take it for granted,” the BPI cautioned in a statement.
As reported by The Times, The Creative Rights in AI Coalition, which includes the BPI, the Independent Society of Musicians, the Motion Picture Association, the Society of Authors, and Getty Images, insists that current copyright laws should be upheld and enforced, not weakened.
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