In a significant blow to the UK government’s proposed AI data access reforms, the House of Lords voted in favour of increased protection for content creators, marking a setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government. The new legislation, known as the Data (Use and Access) Bill, aims to make it easier for AI companies to access content for training purposes, sparking a fierce backlash from artists and creatives across the country.
The bill’s main provision allows AI companies to use content for commercial generative AI training without needing explicit permission from the content creators. This proposal has been met with opposition from more than 400 artists, musicians, and other creatives, including global stars such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Dua Lipa, who signed an open letter urging the government to scrap the plans.
Beeban Kidron, a member of the House of Lords, led the charge for a critical amendment to the bill. The amendment, which passed with 272 votes in favour to 125 against, ensures that creators’ permission is required for the use of their work. Furthermore, it stipulates that creators should have transparency, with the ability to know which of their works have been used, by whom, and at what time.
“Artificial intelligence companies are stealing some of the UK’s most valuable cultural and economic assets,” said Kidron, a prominent film director known for her work on Bridget Jones’s Diary. “Creators do not deny the creative and economic value of AI. But we do deny the assertion that we should have to build AI for free, with our work, and then rent it back from those who stole it.”
Kidron further emphasised that iconic cultural assets were at risk, citing examples such as the Harry Potter franchise, the UK music industry’s back catalogue, and even the intellectual property from the country’s universities and museums. “It’s the voice of Hugh Grant, the design of an iconic handbag, the IP of our universities, great museums and library collections,” she added.
The bill’s proposed changes are part of a broader effort by the UK government to position the nation as a leader in artificial intelligence. Labour digital minister Maggie Jones voiced concerns, warning that excessive obligations could dissuade AI innovators, including homegrown British companies, from developing and offering their services in the UK.
In January, Starmer unveiled an “action plan” to make the UK the “world leader” in AI, aiming to revitalise the economy with flexible regulations tailored to the technology. Despite this ambitious goal, the controversy surrounding the AI copyright issue remains unresolved.
The bill will now return to the House of Commons for further debate, with the future of AI regulations in the UK hanging in the balance.
