Protecting British creatives with responsible AI would boost UK growth – not prevent it
A music producer arranges an original musical composition, Birmingham, England (Neil Bussey / Alamy Stock Photo)
4 min read
Copyright is the foundation on which stands the industries of music, film, books, news, code, games, artworks and livelihoods of all sizes. How to secure it in the age of AI is one of the challenges of our time.
To make the UK a global centre for the emerging technologies without sacrificing our creative industries is essential to the growth mission. It is not a matter of choosing one or the other – the risk is that we could miss the opportunity to secure the best of both.
The solution must reflect UK values, talent and commercial standards, and be built on a clear intellectual property framework that guarantees transparency, legal certainty and economic return. We should reward those AI tech companies, many of them British, who don’t expect to train their machines on human-created content for nothing.
Britain can achieve more than simply becoming the UK branch of US tech
I know how important it is to Labour ministers that the growth strategy is a success. I know how greatly they value our creators, and love their creations, wanting creatives to be better paid with licensing in the AI age to come and the creative industries taskforce. Without legal peace of mind and action on AI for those creating life’s greatest experiences, this love risks falling short.
The UK is a creative superpower, and AI can supercharge our success in that field rather than suppress it. For that to happen, innovation must be built on integrity and transparency. Copyright is not an outdated principle – it is infrastructure. It is how our creative economy runs and powers growth.
We await the mechanism. If not through the Data Bill, then a new vehicle is needed urgently for licensing and remuneration. Our creative industries cannot become the opportunity cost of the opportunity plan. Nor can the mission mean their submission.
Training data is a business cost. UK AI deserves its fair share of investment, of growth, of the licensing opportunities that come when rights are respected. Britain can achieve more than simply becoming the UK branch of US tech, and our world-class creative content must not be mined for free.
The licensing sector is already proving it can be done, built as it is on AI firms disclosing what data they use, and creators are properly rewarded. Platforms like Narrativ and Created by Humans, and partnerships like Sony Music and Vermillio, show that responsible AI isn’t just ethical – it’s investable.
Creatives don’t seek comfort; they take risks. And a growing economy needs more risk-takers. Copyright makes risk worthwhile. Creators put their ideas into the world with no guarantees. IP protections give them the commercial peace of mind to do so. And for investors, copyright is the cornerstone of confidence. It’s how we show Britain is not just open for business, but serious about commercial rights and a solid proposition for genuine innovation.
Copyright is a strategic asset. Defining British tech on British terms can underpin our competitive edge. New growth must mean net growth.
The UK’s creative industries represent 2.5 million workers, voters, whose livelihoods depend on functioning IP law. Most of them live in our regions, not in King’s Cross. Their rights must be included in this government’s strengthening of workers’ rights.
The government is right that the global risk of doing nothing is unacceptable. The EU’s framework is still in flux. US courts are ruling against ‘fair use’ defences, while licensing start-ups are attracting serious investor attention. Let’s not wait for settled status elsewhere. Let’s define anew and lead.
A UK licensing market will open a new frontier for UK growth. Businesses proving that consent-based AI models can thrive are setting the pace. And where voluntary codes are not abided by, regulation must remain a backstop power.
The home of The Beatles and of Tim Berners-Lee demands we find a way to ensure the new AI and creative industries complement one another and do not conflict. That is the best way to seize the extraordinary opportunity opening before us.
James Frith is Labour MP for Bury North
