Labour's Bid to Block AI Copyright Law Sparks Fury as Campaigners Vow to Fight On

Campaigners for the creative industries have promised to come back fighting after the Government tried to scupper plans to protect their work from being stolen by AI companies.

Members of Parliament supported overturning an amendment proposed for the Data (Use and Access) Bill in the House of Lords. This amendment aimed to allow artists, writers, and other creatives to prevent large technology companies from utilizing their copyrighted material for training artificial intelligence systems.

This indicates that the issue will go back to the Lords next week as part of the procedure employed when both legislative chambers have differing opinions on new legislation, a process referred to as 'ping-pong'.

But campaigners in the Lords – and those who supported the amendment protecting copyright holders during a lengthy debate in the Commons yesterday – declared that the battle is far from over.

Baroness Kidron, the crossbench peer and director of "Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason," who spearheaded the initiative to back the creative sector, stated: “I will come back with an amended proposal. We won’t accept defeat passively.”

'The creative sector holds immense value for Britain’s prosperity and national safety, making it far too crucial to be left behind by a government evidently clueless about what they are squandering.'

She charged the Government with 'crafting a plan that benefits merely a select few' from US technology corporations.

Baroness Kidron stated: "A government dealing with problems like low productivity, lack of wealth generation, and youth employment at all-time highs has now discarded one of its most effective, proficient, and invaluable sectors. In my tenure in Parliament, this level of disregard for arguments, votes, and public opinion is unparalleled."

This action was taken after the government’s tech minister acknowledged the alarming situation within the £126 billion per year sector that supports 2.4 million jobs annually.

Sir Chris Bryant informed the Commons that 'numerous individuals' in the arts sector believe this to be an 'apocalyptic moment,' with many feeling as though their careers are vanishing before their eyes.

The previous week saw numerous well-known figures from the UK’s art sector – such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Dua Lipa – stepping forward. contacted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to ask Labour to reconsider its copyright proposals. .

In a strongly worded letter, over 390 prominent figures from well-known households and industries cautioned: "This task does not belong to you."

Yesterday evening, members of Parliament from various parties spoke in support of the Lords' amendment during a debate before it was overruled in the House of Commons with a tally of 297 against and 168 for. Notably, out of those present, 106 Labour Party MPs abstained from voting.

Liberal Democrat Victoria Collins stated: "The question isn't if we can afford to safeguard these sectors; rather, it's whether we can manage without doing so."

Labour backbencher Polly Billington stated that there is "a sense of urgency within the creative sector regarding how their work is being scraped" — referring to the practice where automated programs extract data and information.

She requested of the minister to 'give top priority to transparency by pledging at the dispatch box to implement binding measures, and if not via a statutory instrument, then certainly through a firm public statement ensuring that openness becomes key to the government's strategy regarding AI and copyright'.

Sir Chris responded by saying: "Indeed, we will emphasize transparency across all our future endeavors."

Owen Meredith, CEO of the News Media Association, stated: "It is very disheartening that the government has not heeded the significant worries expressed by the creative sector, particularly news publishers who play such an essential role in upholding our democratic principles."

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