Dua Lipa and Sir Elton John seek protection from AI models

Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Florence Welch are the singers amongst the 400 UK musicians, writers, and artists who have signed a petition, urging the Prime Minister to protect artists’ copyright and “not give away the work” to the big tech companies.

What happened between the artists vs AI models?

According to The Guardian, the open letter is addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, where the signatories claim that their livelihoods need to be protected.

They want the government to amend the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which would the developers and tech companies to be transparent to the copyright owners even if they need it to train the AI models.The surge of artists occurs amid concern regarding the government's plan to train AI models with the use of copyright-protected work without seeking permission from the rightful owners.

What does the letter state?

“We will lose an immense growth opportunity if we give our work away at the behest of a handful of powerful overseas tech companies and with it our future income, the UK’s position as a creative powerhouse, and any hope that the technology of daily life will embody the values and laws of the United Kingdom,” the letter states.

The response of the government

In response to the campaign, the government’s spokesperson stated, “We want our

creative industries and AI

companies to flourish, which is why we're consulting on a package of measures that we hope will work for both sectors. We're clear that no changes will be considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators,” according to the BBC.

No one agrees with the artists

Julia Willemyns, co-founder of the Centre for British Progress think tank, said that such decisions and proposals would hamper the growth, and if the restrictions are imposed, it “would offshore AI development, chill domestic innovation, and directly harm the UK economy.”