The UK government has this week published its report on the future relationship between AI and copyright, following its consultation on the subject last year.
At the outset of the consultation the government stated that its preference would be for an express data mining exception with opt-out and transparency measures. However, this was strongly opposed by, amongst others, the UK’s creative industries, who argued that such an approach would be both unfair and impractical. It seems their views did not fall on deaf ears, as in this week’s report the government has stepped back from such an exemption and says that it no longer has a preferred option.
The report notes that since the close of the consultation there have been many developments in the wider AI market, with an increase in litigation, transparency rules coming into effect in the EU and parts of the USA, technical standards being developed and the licensing market continuing to grow. Its view is that all these factors, and more, need to be considered and discussed further before any final decision.
Whilst there is no doubt this is a thorny issue with no obvious answer, numerous other countries have already made decisions on their approach. The UK therefore needs to be careful not to fall behind if it really wants to be seen as supporting and providing certainty for those in both the creative and AI industries.
