Select Committee · Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Connected tech: smart or sinister?

Status: Closed Opened: 12 May 2022 Closed: 5 Feb 2024 23 recommendations 8 conclusions 2 reports

The DCMS Committee will examine the impacts of the increasing prevalence of smart and connected technology and what needs to be done to ensure it is safe and secure for its users. The Connected tech: smart or sinister? inquiry will explore how devices including smart speakers, virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri and wearable …

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI and creative technology HC 1643 30 Aug 2023 11 Responded
Tenth Report - Connected tech: smart or sinister? HC 157 7 Aug 2023 20 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
3 Recommendation Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Deferred

Establish a discrete AI regulation co-ordination unit within Whitehall to publish regular progress reports.

The Government has announced that it intends to take on a central support role to buttress the regime for AI regulation and provide cross-sector cohesion. The Government should establish a discrete AI regulation co-ordination unit within Whitehall to ensure coherent working and enable robust stakeholder engagement. This unit should publish …

Government response. The government's response discusses implementing and ratifying the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances and exploring stronger protections against the misuse of performers' likenesses, but does not address the recommendation to establish a discrete AI regulation co-ordination unit or publish regular …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
4 Conclusion Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Deferred

Current text and data mining framework appropriately balances innovation and creator rights.

We are pleased that the Government has been listening to stakeholders on text and data mining intellectual property for commercial benefit and we are encouraged that Ministers are looking again at this. The current framework, which provides an exemption for text and data mining for non-commercial research purposes and otherwise …

Government response. The government responds by discussing its commitment to implementing the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which relates to moral rights for performers and deepfakes, and not to the committee's observation on text and data mining intellectual property.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
5 Recommendation Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Deferred

Cease pursuing broad text and data mining copyright exemption; promote strong licensing schemes.

We recommend that the Government does not pursue plans for a broad text and data mining exemption to copyright. Instead, the Government should proactively support small AI developers in particular, who may find difficulties in acquiring licences, by reviewing how licensing schemes can be introduced for technical material and how …

Government response. The government's response focuses on implementing the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances and addressing deepfakes, rather than directly addressing the recommendation concerning text and data mining copyright exemptions, licensing schemes, or a strong copyright regime for AI content.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
6 Recommendation Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI an… Deferred

Regain creative industries' trust; ensure transparency, recourse, and redress for AI use.

The Government must work to regain the trust of the creative industries following its abortive attempt to introduce a broad text and data mining exemption. The Government should consider how creatives can ensure transparency and, if necessary, recourse and redress if they suspect that AI developers are wrongfully using their …

Government response. The government's response addresses the implementation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances and issues like deepfakes, sidestepping the recommendation to regain trust with creative industries and consider transparency and redress for wrongful AI use of creative works.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions
Date Witnesses
31 Jan 2023 Erika Lewis · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Julia Lopez MP · Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sam Cannicott · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport View ↗
17 Jan 2023 David Kleidermacher · Google, John Edwards · Information Commissioner's Office, Leila Rouhi · Amazon, Stephen Almond · Information Commissioner's Office View ↗
22 Nov 2022 Dr Yiyun Kang, Svana Gisla · ABBA Voyage View ↗
1 Nov 2022 Dr Asieh Hosseini Tabaghdehi, Dr Efpraxia Zamani, Dr Matthew Cole View ↗
11 Oct 2022 Matt Lewis · NCC Group, Professor George Loukas, Simon Moore · Palo Alto Networks View ↗
19 Jul 2022 Antony Walker · techUK, Dr Leonie Tanczer, Dr Lulu Shi, Silkie Carlo · Big Brother Watch View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
9 Feb 2023 To cttee Letter from John Edwards, Information Commissioner, relating to oral evidence …