4th Report - AI, copyright and the creative industries
- HC No.
- Not recorded
- Published
- 6 Mar 2026
- Items
- 0
- Government response
- Government response published 15 May 2026 (deadline 11 May 2026). Read the government's response ↗
Select committee: Communications and Digital Committee
AI and copyright
Open
Opened 3 Nov 2025
Communications and Digital Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
This inquiry will explore the practical steps that would enable creative rightsholders to reserve and enforce their rights meaningfully in relation to AI systems; what levels of transparency and accountability can reasonably be expected from AI developers; and how licensing, attribution and labelling tools might support a viable marketplace for creative content.
Where it stands
The inquiry is open, opened 3 November 2025.
The committee has published 1 report, most recently 4th Report - AI, copyright and the creative industries on 6 March 2026.
The government's response
Published 15 May 2026. The deadline was 11 May 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it "no longer has a preferred option" on AI and copyright, agrees that its approach should be evidence based, and will not reform copyright law "unless or until it is confident" that reforms meet its objectives.
- On licensing, it agrees that AI developers "must seek permission and acquire licences" unless an existing copyright exception applies, but it does not intend to intervene in the licensing market "at this stage" as it does not consider there to be sufficient evidence to justify it.
- It states that the resourcing of collective management organisations "is not a matter for government", and says it is launching a working group on independent and smaller creative organisations to explore whether there is a role for government in supporting their ability to license content.
- It will launch a consultation on digital replicas "in the summer" and establish a taskforce on AI labelling, which will publish an interim report "in the autumn".
- On transparency, it agrees that AI developers should be more transparent about training sources, but proposes to continue monitoring other countries and "keep under review what, if any, changes" to the UK approach may be appropriate. It will publish a review of mechanisms for creators to control their works online.
Reports
All reportsEvidence
- 5 oral evidence sessionsLatest 13 January 2026
- 21 witnesses
Recent activity
- Response to the Chair from Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive Officer, Competition and Markets Authority, dated 13 July 20263 August 2026, Correspondence
- Letter from the Chair to Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive Officer, Competition and Markets Authority, dated 17 June 202617 June 2026, Correspondence
- Government response to the Committee's report 'AI, copyright and the creative industries'. 4th Report, Session 2024-2615 May 2026, Report published
Reports
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Jan 2026 |
Oral evidence session
Guy Gadney · Charismatic.ai,
Oliver Ilott · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,
Roxanne Carter · Google,
Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP · Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
Ruth Hannant · Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP · Department for Work and Pensions
|
View ↗ |
| 9 Dec 2025 |
Oral evidence session
Antony Walker · techUK,
Ed Conolly · Cloudflare,
Eugene Huang · ProRata.ai,
Matthew Sinclair · Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA),
Professor John Collomosse · University of Surrey,
Vinous Ali · Startup Coalition
|
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| 2 Dec 2025 |
Oral evidence session
Ed Newton-Rex · Fairly Trained,
Reema Selhi · DACS,
Serena Dederding · Copyright Licensing Agency
|
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| 25 Nov 2025 |
Oral evidence session
Dr Alina Trapova · University College London,
Professor Eleonora Rosati · Stockholm University
|
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| 4 Nov 2025 |
Oral evidence session
Anna Ganley · Society of Authors,
Isabelle Doran · Association of Photographers,
Owen Meredith · News Media Association,
Tom Kiehl · UK Music
|
View ↗ |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Anna Ganley · Chief Executive Officer | Society of Authors | 1 |
| Antony Walker · Deputy Chief Executive | techUK | 1 |
| Dr Alina Trapova · Lecturer in Law | University College London | 1 |
| Ed Conolly · Vice President Engineering | Cloudflare | 1 |
| Ed Newton-Rex · Chief Executive | Fairly Trained | 1 |
| Eugene Huang · Senior Strategy Advisor and Co-founder | ProRata.ai | 1 |
| Guy Gadney · Chief Executive Officer | Charismatic.ai | 1 |
| Isabelle Doran · Chief Executive Officer | Association of Photographers | 1 |
| Matthew Sinclair · Senior Director | Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) | 1 |
| Oliver Ilott · Interim Director General for Artificial Intelligence | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 1 |
| Owen Meredith · Chief Executive | News Media Association | 1 |
| Professor Eleonora Rosati · Professor of Intellectual Property Law | Stockholm University | 1 |
| Professor John Collomosse · Professor of Computer Vision and AI | University of Surrey | 1 |
| Reema Selhi · Head of Policy and International | DACS | 1 |
| Roxanne Carter · Global IP Lead, Government Affairs and Public Policy | 1 | |
| Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP · Secretary of State | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 1 |
| Ruth Hannant · Permanent Secretary (job share) | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 1 |
| Serena Dederding · General Counsel and Company Secretary | Copyright Licensing Agency | 1 |
| The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP · Secretary of State | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Tom Kiehl · Chief Executive Officer | UK Music | 1 |
| Vinous Ali · Deputy Executive Director | Startup Coalition | 1 |
Correspondence
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