Britain’s creative sector will die if AI firms’ supercomputers are allowed to use any material they want
AI peril
THINK of the creative and cultural wonders Britain has given the world.
The Beatles and the Stones. Oasis and Blur. James Bond and Star Wars. Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings. The Office and The Crown.
Music, films, television, writing and art from these tiny islands have been enjoyed by billions.
Our robust Free Press remains the envy of the world and the UK acts as a global powerhouse of ingenuity.
But now this extraordinary originality faces a potentially fatal threat from the unlicensed use of content by AI developers.
Musicians, authors, artists and film, TV and media companies are having their work stolen without permission or payment by big tech firms, as 300-year-old copyright laws are brazenly ignored.
Yet — far from stopping this wholesale exploitation — a consultation by ministers, which closes this week, risks making matters even worse.
Strong British copyright laws should send an automatic “hands-off” message to internet-age magpies – backed up by enforceable punishments.
But instead the Government wants to hand exemptions to AI firms allowing their supercomputers to use any material it wants – unless the original creator “opts out” for every piece of content made.
Such weak and impractical protection is the equivalent of leaving a handwritten note for the Hatton Garden heist gang asking if they wouldn’t mind leaving the gold alone.
How could the next Ricky Gervais or JK Rowling possibly hope to get started in a world where an AI bot can steal a joke or an image in seconds and not pay for the privilege?
How can a trusted Free Press afford to pay trained journalists to operate in a world of fake news when their entire output — and revenue — is nicked for nothing?
Record company Universal hits the nail on the head with the release today of an entirely silent album by its artists entitled: “Is This What We Want?”
Of course not.
Yes, AI brings potentially huge benefits for society, especially in areas such as healthcare.
But, as one of our great global success stories, it’s the creative sector which is already a huge generator of tax revenue for the NHS and public services.
Ministers — so keen to curry favour with big tech — forget this at their peril.
BBC doc cost
THE BBC’s Gaza documentary was an appalling propaganda film for Hamas.
Today we reveal the cost to licence fee payers for making this so-called documentary was a staggering £400,000.
There is another disturbing question the BBC is still to answer.
Did Hamas terrorists or their families directly receive any of your cash?