Call for creative industries AI protection
November 2, 2023
By Colin Mann
Coinciding with the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the UK House of Commons, has called on the Government to ensure the UK’s creative industries are properly protected from the risks posed by artificial intelligence while supporting the sector to make the most of new technologies.
“This week’s summit provides a golden opportunity for the Government to signal that it is firmly on the side of creatives across the UK and globally who understandably feel threatened by the emergence of AI and its potential to trample over their rights,” commented Dinenage.
“After past missteps, the Government must seize the chance to show that it is serious about developing a copyright and regulatory regime with proper protections from AI in order to regain the trust of the arts and cultural sector. It must also show that it is properly supporting the sector to make the most of new technology to allow the UK to fulfil its potential as a creative industry superpower on the world stage.”
A report from the Committee in August 2023 called on the Government to follow through on its pledge and abandon plans to allow AI developers the free use of existing music, literature and works of art for the purposes of training artificial intelligence to come up with new creations.
It warned that the Government’s original plan to exempt text and data mining by AI from copyright protection risks showed a clear lack of understanding of the needs of the UK’s creative industries.
The Committee also concluded that skills shortages in the creative and tech sectors are limiting the growth and potential of creative technology in the UK despite headline successes. The Government must address long-standing UK-wide skills and personnel shortages in the sector via its upcoming Cultural Education Plan, the report said.