If there’s one person you don’t want to cross, it’s Elton John, especially when it comes to artists’ rights. The music icon has gone full Rocket Man on the U.K. government’s proposal to loosen AI copyright laws, branding it flat-out “criminal” and accusing officials of “committing theft” from hardworking artists.
“The danger is for young artists, they haven’t got the resources to keep checking or fight big tech,” John told the BBC on Sunday. “It’s criminal and I feel incredibly betrayed.” Ouch.
At the heart of the controversy is a plan that would let AI developers train their models on any creative work they have lawful access to without paying a single penny. Elton’s not the only one seeing red. He warns that if this goes ahead, the government will be guilty of “thievery on a high scale.”
A Musical Rebellion Against Machine Mayhem
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is staying suspiciously quiet, but artists? Not so much.
Elton has joined forces with over 400 others, including Sir Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ed Sheeran, and Dua Lipa, in an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Their mission: stop the government from handing out creative works like party favors to AI firms. The letter demands transparency and permission, two things AI developers haven’t exactly aced.
The protest is laser-focused on Baroness Beeban Kidron’s amendments to the so-called Data Bill, which would force AI companies to fess up about which copyrighted materials they’ve been chowing down on.
The bill itself is part of a grander scheme called the “AI Opportunities Action Plan,” meant to turbocharge the UK’s AI game. Think infrastructure expansion, AI in public services, and homegrown talent with a shiny £47 billion (US$62.5 billion) annual economic boost dangled like a carrot.
But before we all toast the future, artists are asking: at what cost?
Last week’s drama in Parliament saw the House of Commons reject several amendments from the House of Lords, including one that would’ve made it mandatory for AI companies to ask permission before borrowing copyrighted work. Because, apparently, consent is optional now?
As the fight heats up, it’s clear the creative industry isn’t going quietly, and neither is Sir Elton.
Richard Adrian
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