UK government should push forward with copyright exception for AI training, but must take more innovative steps to support the arts, according to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
New report "Rebooting copyright: How the UK can be a global leader in the Arts and AI" calls for creation of a ‘Centre for AI and Creative Industries’ to drive collaboration.
Music producer and foreword author Fernando Garibay: “There is no inherent opposition between technology and the creative industries.”
The government should proceed with plans for a copyright exception for AI training and take more creative steps to support the UK’s arts industries, according to a new paper.
"Rebooting copyright: How the UK can be a global leader in the Arts and AI"’, published today by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), argues that a shift in focus is needed from a zero-sum ‘AI vs creativity’ debate to a plus-sum game in which the UK is home to both cutting-edge AI development and a flourishing creative sector.
According to TBI’s new report, the question is not whether generative AI will transform creative industries, but how to make this transition beneficial for all stakeholders. The paper argues that there are better ways to help creators flourish in the AI age than strict copyright laws, including support in honing new skills, accessing compute infrastructure, and developing new business models.
The TBI report is co-authored with leading experts, creators and legal scholars, including Amanda Brock, CEO of OpenUK, and Professor Mick Grierson, Head of Research at University of the Arts London’s (UAL) Creative Computing Institute.
The paper’s foreword is written by music producer Professor Fernando Garibay, who has worked with artists including Lady Gaga, U2, Whitney Houston and Britney Spears.
Commenting on the report, Garibay said:
“There is no inherent opposition between technology and the creative industries. In fact, the future of art will inevitably be infused and shaped by AI and other data-driven technologies.”
The authors argue that the government should adopt a proactive approach to supporting the creative industries in the transition into the AI era, including through the creation of a ‘Centre for AI and Creative Industries’ (CACI) to drive collaboration between the two sectors. They also argue that Ministers should establish a dedicated remuneration fund for the creative industries via the tech sector, generating ring-fenced funding both for the CACI and the UK’s arts bodies.
Mick Grierson, Professor of Computer Science & Head of Research at Creative Computing Institute, UAL, said:
"A national Centre for AI in the Creative Industries would unite scientists, creatives, and policy experts, driving UK growth through new technology, infrastructure, and training. This aligns with the Creative Computing Institute’s decade-long leadership in AI within the creative industries, and I believe it presents a unique opportunity for both sectors to benefit through the development of a dedicated, collaborative technology and creative industries ecosystem."
The paper provides the most comprehensive plan to date for how a text-and-data mining exception, proposed by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), could work in practice. It lays out the measures needed to give rightsholders control– including a fully workable, real-terms opt-out – while generating new funding and creative collaboration opportunities.
In doing so, TBI argues overly restrictive copyright policies may inadvertently push AI development overseas and do little to protect jobs or encourage innovation. Countries like the US, Japan, and South Korea already allow broader access to data for AI training, without seeing their arts sectors disappear.
Jakob Mökander, Director of Science and Technology Policy at TBI, said:
“The current debate is too often framed as a zero-sum game, in which AI developers and rights holders are locked in competition for limited resources. This misrepresents the nature of the challenge and the opportunity before us. The UK can and should be home to both cutting-edge AI development and a flourishing creative sector.
“Today, the application of UK copyright law to the training of AI models is contested. This lack of clarity harms all stakeholders, including creators, rights holders, AI developers and society at large. Bold policy solutions are needed to provide all parties with legal clarity and unlock investments that spur innovation, job creation and economic growth.
“The Government is right to prioritise the proposals in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, and drive forward in making the UK a world-leader in AI. A text and data mining exception with the possibility for rights holders to opt out is the best way to ensure we can remain at the forefront.”
As a result, the report argues, we can secure the future of two of the UK’s most important industries.
“This technology is here now, and it is here to stay”, Mökander continues. “If we spend our time fighting it, rather than adapting, no-one will win. What is needed now is a proper conversation about the guardrails needed to support the UK’s cultural sector.”