Labour 'plotting to delay AI copyright law for up to four more years ...
Labour is plotting to delay new AI copyright laws by up to four years, it has been claimed. The Government reportedly wants to conduct a full 'technical review' of its proposal to give Big Tech firms an exemption from copyright law when training their AI models. But creators say the tech giants are already 'burgling' their work and need to be stopped urgently.
Concerns Over Delay
It is also feared that the technical review – which is framed as a concession to creators – will focus solely on the Government's preferred option, effectively locking it into that course of action. Combined with a full economic assessment, it could be another four years before new legislation is in place. Baroness Kidron, an award-winning film director, accused ministers of 'fiddling while Rome burns'.
She said: 'The Government is simply kicking this into the long grass while Silicon Valley burgles our creative industry in plain sight. Everybody knows there is widespread scraping of copyright material right now. They need to act, not let that continue while they take years deciding what to do next.'
Opposition to the Proposed Changes
Baroness Kidron also criticized the Government's preferred option that would force creators to opt out of having their work 'scraped' by AI systems to train models. Tech giants Open AI and Google have expressed their desire for even more freedom than what is being suggested by the Government.
Composer Ed Newton-Rex, who has been vocal about the issue, condemned the possible delay and emphasized the importance of enforcing existing copyright law to protect the rights of creators.
Government's Response
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has stated that no final decisions have been made yet. A spokesman mentioned, 'We have always been clear that no changes will be made until we are absolutely confident we have a practical plan that delivers on each of our objectives.'
