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DACS provides a briefing for House of Lords debate on AI

A white man sitting on a desk and drawing next to a book case
Benji Davies in his studio, by Brian Benson

DACS provided a briefing to attendees of a House of Lords debate on 24th July on the ongoing policy development of advanced artificial intelligence, its associated risks and potential approaches to regulation within the UK and internationally.

Asking the Government to rule out any new exceptions on copyright for text and data-mining purposes, Lord Watson of Wyre Forest said, “Consent is that crucial theme that we need to enshrine in AI regulation to protect human creativity”.

On the impact of advanced AI on the creative industries, Lord Clement-Jones highlighted that AI developers do not always seek consent, and that artists are at risk of being undermined by AI:

there are big questions over authorship and intellectual property, and many artists feel threatened. Responsible AI developers seek to license content which will bring in valuable income. However, as the noble Earl, Lord Devon, said, many of the large language model developers seem to believe that they do not need to seek permission to ingest content.

Lord Clement-Jones

In response to these and other concerns raised in the debate, on the impact of AI on the creative industries and on copyright legislation, Viscount Camrose, Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, said the UK government believes that:

the involvement of both the AI and creative sectors in the discussions that the Intellectual Property Office is currently facilitating will help with the creation of a balanced and pragmatic code of practice that will enable both sectors to grow in partnership

Viscount Camrose
Minister for AI and Intellectual Property

Artificial intelligence, while rich with creative possibilities, demands considered policy actions to ensure artists' rights are protected, and their skills developed, to fully harness technological advancements.

DACS is currently taking part in discussions with the Intellectual Property Office on AI issues and continues to engage with Government to ensure that visual artists are protected and rewarded.

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