Elton John, Coldplay and Dua Lipa among 400 artists calling on UK government to change copyright laws amid AI threat
Elton John, Coldplay and Dua Lipa are among 400 artists to have called on the UK government to change copyright laws amid the threat from AI.
Paul McCartney, Florence Welch, Kate Bush and Robbie Williams have also signed a letter asking for Keir Starmer to back proposals that would protect copyrighted artistic works from AI infringement.
On Monday (May 12), the House of Lords is scheduled to vote on an amendment to a bill that would require AI developers to disclose which copyrighted materials they have used to train their models.
So far, Starmer’s government has expressed reservations about the amendment, favouring an ongoing consultation process instead. The current law allows data mining for non-commercial purposes by default, while for commercial use, rights holders must opt out of data mining.
The artists’ letter that has been addressed to the Prime Minister reads: “Creative copyright is the lifeblood of the creative industries. It recognizes the moral authority we have over our work and provides an income stream for 2.4 million people across the four nations of the United Kingdom”.
“The fight to defend our creative industries has been joined by scores of UK businesses, including those who use and develop AI. We are not against progress or innovation. The creative industries have always been early adopters of technology. Indeed, many of the world’s greatest inventions, from the lightbulb to AI itself, have been a result of UK creative minds grappling with technology.”
“The first job of any government is to protect its citizens,” the letter added, claiming the bill would “put transparency at the heart of the copyright regime and allow both AI developers and creators to develop licensing regimes that will allow for human-created content well into the future.”
Many of the artists to have signed the letter have been outspoken already on the issue, with Paul McCartney saying in January: “You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don’t own it, and they don’t have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off.”
“We’re the people, you’re the government! You’re supposed to protect us. That’s your job. So you know, if you’re putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you’re not going to have them.”
Elton John concurred with the ex-Beatle, adding: “The wheels are in motion to allow AI companies to ride roughshod over the traditional copyright laws that protect artists’ livelihoods.”
“This will allow global big tech companies to gain free and easy access to artists’ work in order to train their artificial intelligence and create competing music. This will dilute and threaten young artists’ earnings even further. The musician community rejects it wholeheartedly.”
Jimmy Page is another who has spoken out, writing: “The ethical implications are profound. When AI scrapes the vast tapestry of human creativity to generate content, it often does so without consent, attribution, or compensation. This is not innovation; it’s exploitation.”
“We must push for legislation that ensures AI cannot monetise human creativity without explicit consent and fair compensation. The government’s preferred option in its current consultation does not do that.”
Queen’s Brian May has also had his say: “My fear is that it’s already too late – this theft has already been performed and is unstoppable, like so many incursions that the monstrously arrogant billionaire owners of Al and social media are making into our lives. The future is already forever changed.”
Elsewhere, over 1,000 artists including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox released a silent album in February in protest at the planned changes.
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Max Pilley
NME
