The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is generating serious issues within the creative industries, not least with regard to the impact of AI on artists’ authorship and intellectual property rights.

For example, I am aware of recent incidents of AI-generated songs in the music industry and the cloning of singer’s voices, which has prompted tighter regulation from music streaming services on AI-generated music.  However, it should not be left to music streaming services to regulate AI and protect creators.

The Government has released a White Paper on AI.  Whilst the White Paper acknowledges concerns on intellectual property and creative industries, I believe that the Government’s light touch approach to AI regulation is not up to the task and already out of date.

There have been big changes in technology over the last decade and I believe that current efforts to regulate in these areas are not moving quickly enough.  The UK’s regulation of modern technology is not designed for the digital society in which we now live.

Furthermore, I believe that the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) proposal for text and data mining copyright exemptions to promote AI would not only undermine the basic principles on which our creative industries are based, but they could enable international businesses to scrape content for commercial gain without payment to the original creators.  In turn, this could undermine our competitiveness in this key area.  I cannot see why the income of our creators should be put at risk in this way.

I can assure you that I will oppose these data mining proposals and the Government’s light touch approach to regulating AI.  Instead, we need proper regulation of AI and other emerging technologies, including protections to ensure that creators are treated and remunerated fairly for their work.