Lisa Nandy has admitted that the Government made a ‘mistake’ by trying to make creatives ‘opt out’ of having their work mined by Artificial Intelligence.
Last week Labour performed another U-turn as it ditched plans to force artists, musicians and publishers to object to their copyrighted work being used by Big Tech.
The move has been interpreted as a victory for the Culture Secretary, who said that Labour heard ‘loud and clear’ that this ‘was not the right approach’.
The Government backtracked on the plans following a major backlash from stars, including Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa.
The Daily Mail is campaigning for authors, publishers and musicians to be paid a fair price for their work and to have their copyright respected. Tech giants want an exception to copyright law for their AI machines to learn from creative works without paying or crediting their owners.
Ms Nandy told The House magazine: ‘Eighteen months ago, we tried to start a conversation with the creative industries and with tech companies, where we set out that opt out was our preferred option.
‘That was a mistake, and we heard loud and clear through the consultation that that was not the right approach. And so, we have listened and responded, and Liz [Kendall] and I are working in lockstep on this.’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has admitted that the Government made a ‘mistake’ by trying to make creatives ‘opt out’ of having their work mined by Artificial Intelligence
Dua Lipa is among the artists who have spoken out against AI using the work of musicians without compensating them
The Wigan MP added: ‘Copyright law in this country is based on one very fundamental principle, which is that people should own their own work.’
The Government, in its report following the consultation on the issue, said it ‘no longer has a preferred option’ on copyright.
It previously stated its preferred option would be an exception to copyright for training AI, so tech firms would not need a licence to use copyrighted material. Creators would have then had to opt out to prevent their work from being used.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall acknowledged this approach was ‘overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of the creative industries’. The Government’s report suggested that any reform must compensate and protect creatives.
Ms Nandy was also asked about Business Secretary Peter Kyle saying in 2024 that countries ought to show humility to tech firms, to which she replied: ‘That sounds like an AI – did you get that from AI?’
And in a riposte to her Cabinet Colleague, the Culture Secretary added: ‘I don’t agree with that… I think governments are elected on behalf of people to defend their interests.’
