A minister has sought to reassure Sir Elton John and other artists that the Government has “got their back” as its draws up new legislation on copyright for the AI age.
The world-famous pop superstar recently launched a scathing attack on the Government for not doing more to stop artificial intelligence firms using material without paying.
Sir Elton branded Labour ministers “absolute losers” and described science secretary Peter Kyle as “a bit of a moron”.
He hit out amid anger among artists at the Government’s Data (Use and Access) Bill and after ministers rejected proposals from the Lords to force AI companies to reveal what material they were using to develop their programmes.
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg show, Sir Elton argued that the Government’s current plans would allow AI firms to “commit theft, thievery on the highest scale”.
Sir Elton, Sir Paul McCartney and Kate Bush last month signed a joint letter to Sir Keir Starmer urging the prime minister to introduce safeguards against work being plundered for free.
Creative industries minister Sir Chris Bryant insisted that the Government would defend artists.
“I want to make sure that in the digital age that is upon us, the age of AI, that people who have painted, photographed, written, produced music, sung, whatever, have the same power over their works, whether they are used, how they are used, and are renumerated for it, as they had in the analogue age,” he told LBC Radio.
“Copyright was written in the analogue age and we have a robust system in the UK.
“But we need to make sure that is updated for the modern era.
“I hope that in the coming months that we will be able to persuade not just Elton John and Paul McCartney but everybody in the creative industries that we’ve got their back.”
Mr Kyle has defended his stance on copyright laws and brushed off the “moron” jibe by Sir Elton.
“I’m a profound dyslexic. The first person who called me a moron was a teacher in a classroom when I was a kid when she was trying to ask me to read Shakespeare - so I’ve gone through my whole life being called these things and focusing on what my job is,” he said.
“Back then it was trying to learn how to learn. Now is trying to deliver for creatives and the AI sector and the future of our economy.”
He insisted the Government would “never sell downstream” the rights of artists in the UK.
He also said he had “mistakenly” said his preferred option on AI and copyright was requiring rights-holders to “opt out” of their material being used by tech companies, and had since “gone back to the drawing board”.
The Government is locked in a standoff with the House of Lords, which has demanded artists to be offered immediate copyright protection as an amendment to the Data Bill.
Peers have attempted to change the legislation by adding a commitment to introduce transparency requirements aimed at ensuring rights-holders are able to see when their work has been used and by whom.
The Government has said it will address copyright issues as a whole after more than 11,500 responses to its consultation on the impact of AI have been reviewed.
