Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation 5

Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI and creative technology Published 30 Aug 2023 Paragraph 31 Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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Recommendation (the committee's words)

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 mutually-beneficial arrangements can be struck with rights management organisations and creative industries trade bodies. The Government should support the continuance of a strong copyright regime in the UK and be clear that licences are required to use copyrighted content in AI. In line with our previous work, this Committee also believes that the Government should act to ensure that creators are well rewarded in the copyright regime.

From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Eleventh Report - Connected tech: AI and creative technology (HC 1643), paragraph 31, 30 August 2023

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 11 January 2024.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government thanks the Committee and "notes the findings", agrees that connected technology could cause unintended harm if left unaddressed, and says its forthcoming response to the AI regulation white paper, with the Cultural Education Plan and a copyright and AI code of practice, will "in due course" provide more detailed responses to a number of recommendations.

On AI regulation, the government "recognises" the need for regulator skills and strong central coordination, says it has "already established a central risk function" and is "implementing a coordination function", and will give further details in its forthcoming white paper response.
On copyright, it states it "is not proceeding with its original proposal for a broad copyright exception for text and data mining". It is instead developing a code of practice on copyright and AI, and intends to set out the outcomes of that work "in early 2024".
On the Beijing Treaty, it has "committed to implementing and ratifying" it and expects it to come into force "in the latter half of 2024" once legislation is in place. It "accept[s] the limitations" of the Treaty on misuse of likenesses, and the IPO will "explore the case for stronger protections".
On the Cultural Education Plan, it says it "will publish" the Plan "in the coming months", and that the Plan will help strengthen talent pipelines into cultural and creative sectors such as CreaTech.

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