How we’ve been advocating for artists rights this spring
(L-R: the Earl of Clancarty, Paula Orrell, Director CVAN, Lord Freyberg, Ruth Cadbury MP, Artist Exodus Crooks, Cat Eccles MP, Artists Larry Achiampong, Sutapa Biswas and Charlotte Warne Thomas, and Eva Langret, Director of Frieze London.) Photo credit: Matt Crossick/DACS.
As part of our mission to support visual artists, DACS actively campaigns for the protection of artists' rights on behalf of our members. The past few months have seen a flurry of activity around the government’s copyright and AI consultation. You can read more about DACS’ key recommendations and response to the consultation here.
At the same time, we have been working with government, MPs and policymakers to support amendments to the government’s Data (Use and Access) Bill, and working with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Visual Arts and Artists to highlight key challenges and opportunities for artists, and make the case for targeted investment.
AI and Artists: Key updates
Whilst the government considers the 11,500 responses to the copyright and Artificial Intelligence consultation, we're working hard to raise artists' concerns in Parliament.
DACS has joined rightsholder representatives from across the creative, publishing and media sectors in support of changes to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, and held meetings with several MPs and Peers to highlight the critical challenges presented by the government’s proposed copyright exception for AI training.
Westminster Debates: Impact of AI on intellectual property
Speaking the House of Commons on during a debate on the Impact of AI on intellectual property, called by James Frith MP, Emily Darlington, MP for Milton Keynes, drew attention to DACS’ AI & Artists report said:
“Is [my hon. Friend] aware of the recent DACS survey of visual artists, most of whom live on pay under the minimum wage? That survey showed that 84% of artists would agree to license their work for fair remuneration. That would require a technical solution that is embedded in the metadata that is respected by AI and platforms. At the moment, anything uploaded on to our social media platforms has that metadata scraped.”
In response, James Frith MP – who sits on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and has been vocal in calling for greater transparency measures and fair pay, said:
“With AI models, rights holders cannot see what is being used. This is not a crisis of legislation; it is an absence of transparency, attribution and recompense for the very content and resource that those giant machines are being built with and from.”
DACS also joined a meeting called by Baroness Beeban Kidron - a crossbench member of the House of Lords - to discuss the government’s consultation on AI and copyright, and the critical importance of protecting copyright and creator remuneration in the age of generative AI.
The meeting was joined by Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA co-founder and CISAC President, along with Dame Caroline Dinenage MP DBE , Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, MPs and Peers from across political parties, and industry representatives.
Ulvaeus said:
“Copyright is the oxygen which creators and the creative economy depend on for their existence and survival.”
You can read Björn Ulvaeus’ full speech here.
Parliament debates Data (Use and Access) Bill, including clauses on AI training
The Data (Use and Access) Bill was first introduced by the Labour government in October 2024, and seeks to introduce new rules around the use of and access to data about individuals and businesses. A Bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to change an existing law that is presented for debate before Parliament.
Baroness Beeban Kidron – a crossbench member of the House of Lords - has put forward amendments to this Bill which seek to place transparency requirements on developers of Generative AI models. Transparency measures are essential in developing a licensing market for content that is used to train AI models. These amendments were passed in the House of Lords, meaning they are carried into Report stage of the legislation process, in the House of Commons where MPs will again have the chance to debate and discuss the proposed changes.
The Bill was debated on Wednesday 7th May in the House of Commons, where several MPs spoke directly to the need for transparency measures that would ensure AI developers disclose their training practices.
Government commits to economic impact assessment of AI on IP
Despite this show of support, the government has opted not to carry forward these amendments.
Instead, in response to the widespread concerns from rightsholders and the creative industries, the government has committed to making changes to the Data Bill. These changes mean that, within 12 months of the Bill becoming law, the Government will :
1. Carry out an economic impact assessment of the four options in the consultation paper, on a) copyright owners and b) persons who develop or use AI systems
and
2. Prepare and publish a report on the use of copyright works in the development of AI systems.
These changes show that the Government is beginning to recognise the concerns we have raised over the proposed copyright exception for AI training, with a rights reservation. However, the results of the government’s reviews are unlikely to be finalised until 2028, prompting widespread concerns across the creative industries as to how rightsholders can protect their IP in the meantime. DACS believes it is vital that any solution gives creators control over how their work is used, and ensures fair licensing. To enable this, AI developers must be much more transparent about how they train their models. DACS will continue to engage with government and with MPs and Peers of all parties to raise the urgent need for transparency requirements.
Framing the Future: The Political Case for Strengthening the Visual Arts Ecosystem
DACS is joint secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Visual Arts and Artists, which exists to give artists a voice in Westminster. In April, the APPG endorsed a major new report Framing the Future: The Political Case for Strengthening the Visual Arts Ecosystem, which launched at the House of Commons on Thursday 24 April.
Commissioned by CVAN Contemporary Visual Arts Network and John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, in collaboration with a-n The Artists Information Company, DACS and Plus Tate, this sector-wide report developed and written by Erksine Analysis puts forward the economic, cultural and social case for strategic investment in the visual arts.
The report is published ahead of the UK Government’s multi-year Spending Review and sets out four key recommendations to safeguard the future of the UK’s visual arts and its artists, whilst highlighting the three ways in which the visual arts can support the government in delivering its core missions.
Support our work: what you can do
Write to your MP: You can support our calls for control, remuneration and transparency, by writing to your MP. The Creative Rights in AI Coalition – of which DACS is a member – have produced an online template which you can access here
Share the Framing the Future Report on social media: You can download social assets via the link below and share across social media. We will also be producing a write to your MP template in the coming weeks.
