London, UK – More than a thousand musicians, including prominent names like Kate Bush and Cat Stevens, have recently released a silent album as a form of protest against the United Kingdom’s proposed legislative amendments to copyright laws. These amendments could enable technology companies to utilize existing creative works for training artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The global creative industry is currently engaged in addressing both the legal and ethical challenges posed by AI technologies capable of generating creative output autonomously. This output is often derived from works without providing compensation or recognition to the original creators.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who aims to establish the UK as a leader in AI technology, the government has suggested changes that would relax the current protections offered to creators of literary, musical, dramatic, and artistic works. This would allow AI developers unfettered access to content to improve their models, provided they have lawful access to the original material. Importantly, rights holders would need to take action to opt-out to prevent their work from being used, a reversal from the existing norms that require explicit permission.
This potential change has sparked significant backlash from the artist community. They argue that it undermines the fundamental principles of copyright law, which traditionally ensure creators maintain exclusive rights over their work. Kate Bush poignantly framed the issue by questioning whether artists’ voices will be silenced in the music of the future. Her 1985 track “Running Up That Hill” recently regained popularity after being featured on the Netflix series “Stranger Things”.
To symbolize the potential detrimental effects on artists’ income and creative freedom, the silent album, titled “Is This What We Want?”, features sounds of empty studios and silenced performance spaces. This release coincides with the closing of a public consultation on the legal amendments.
The government, however, holds a different view. A spokesperson stated that the current regulations concerning copyright and AI are restrictive to the potential growth of the creative, media, and AI sectors. They assured that extensive consultations with these sectors have been conducted and will continue as no final decisions have been made yet.
Joining Bush and Stevens in their plea are other renowned musicians such as Annie Lennox, Billy Ocean, Hans Zimmer, Tori Amos, and The Clash, all of whom urge the government to reconsider its plans.
Ed Newton-Rex, the founder of Fairly Trained and an organizer of the protest, expressed concerns over the government’s proposals. He criticized the potential policy for essentially transferring the ownership of a musician’s life work to AI firms at no cost, thus unfairly allowing those firms to compete against the creators themselves. Newton-Rex argues that the UK can still be a leader in AI innovation without compromising its vibrant creative sector.
This protest and broader conversation highlight a critical juncture in the intersection of technology, law, and creative rights, emphasizing the ongoing need to balance innovation with fair and just compensation for creators.
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