Government response to the Committee's report 'AI, copyright and the creative industries'. 4th Report, Session 2024-26

This is the government's response, published 15 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.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error