UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl has called for an urgent government rethink after moves to prevent AI firms exploiting music creators’ work were blocked in Parliament.
His intervention came after digital campaigner Baroness Kidron’s amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill were voted down by MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday (March 11).
Her amendments would have helped enforce existing copyright rules by improving transparency and ensuring AI firms faced action if they flouted the rules.
Under government proposals to the UK’s copyright law, tech firms would get free access to music, films and books to train their AI models – without needing to get permission or pay the people who created the work or own the rights.
The plans would leave creators having to register an opt-out if they did not want their work exploited by such firms. At present, their copyright is automatically protected.
The proposals prompted a backlash from artists and the music industry, as part of the wider Make It Fair campaign.
Baroness Kidron’s amendments would subject AI companies to UK copyright law, regardless of their location and reveal the names and owners of web crawlers that operate anonymously at present. Her plans would allow copyright owners to know when, where and how their work is used.
The latest intervention by UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl follows his article for Music Week earlier this year about the threat posed to music by potential legislation.
We are urging the government to rethink these deeply damaging plan
Tom Kiehl
Reacting to the blocking of her amendments at the Committee stage of the Bill when it is given line by line scrutiny by MPs, Tom Kiehl said: “It is hugely disappointing that Baroness Kidron’s crucial amendments – which command widespread support across the creative industries – were blocked. These proposed changes would have helped stop AI firms ripping off UK music creators by stealing their music without permission or payment.
“The amendments would also have increased transparency and ensured the enforcement of our existing copyright rules which help prevent creators being exploited by AI firms – something which is already happening on an industrial scale and must be stopped.
“We are urging the government to rethink these deeply damaging plans and help the creative industries play a key part in growing our economy and boosting the exports of UK music, which are such an important part of our soft power across the world.
“We are also urging MPs to reintroduce these amendments at the next stage of the Parliamentary process.”
The government is assessing the responses to the consultation, which made the proposal to allow AI firms to train models on music, films, books and other media.
Culture Minister Chris Bryant told MPs during the debate: “We have heard loud and clear the message that stakeholders do not want us to rush to legislate on this topic and we intend to heed that message.”
PHOTO: Joanna Dudderidge
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