Lords Committee Rejects AI Copyright Exceptions

A House of Lords committee has called on the UK government to reject proposals allowing artificial intelligence companies to freely use copyrighted material for commercial training purposes, advocating instead for a licensing-first approach to protect the nation's creative industries.

The Communications and Digital Committee, in a report published on March 6, warned that weakening copyright protections could undermine the UK's economic strengths in sectors like publishing, music, and film. The committee highlighted the creative industries' contribution of around 124 billion pounds to the economy in 2023, describing them as a current powerhouse that should not be sacrificed for uncertain AI benefits. Chair Baroness Barbara Keeley stated, "AI may contribute to our future economic growth, but the UK creative industries create jobs and economic value now." She added that diluting existing copyright rules to attract major technology firms would represent "a race to the bottom that does not serve UK interests."

The report, titled "AI, Copyright and the Creative Industries," urges ministers to formally abandon a proposed commercial text and data mining exception that would permit AI...