(Richmond Park) (LD):...We
have all seen how quickly AI can redefine industry norms. We must
start exploring how we balance our digital and creative future.
What is the outlook for our musicians
journalists, visual artists, publishers and performers in an
increasingly computer-powered world? With the help of the Chamber
Engagement Team, I conducted a survey of over 200 creative
workers to hear how AI was impacting their work. Many said that
their work, which they own the copyright for, had been used
without their consent by AI companies. One respondent, Richard,
noted that, in recent weeks, almost 600 of his copyrighted images
had been scraped off the internet to train AI platforms, for
which he has not received a single penny. Another survey
respondent, Henry, said:
“Why should an AI company be able to blatantly copy and capture
the ‘essence’ of how I compose music and monetise it, for free?”
Many of the creative workers who responded to my survey expressed
a clear desire for robust enforcement of current copyright
protections, with any form of open access text and data mining
arrangement offered on an opt-in basis for creatives. One
respondent, Ian, said:
“If musicians and
composers wish to sell their rights to software companies to
train their systems then that is their right, but the default
should be that it is illegal to use any music without permission,
and it must be enforced robustly.”
Amy, a composer who responded to my survey, said:
“We train for many years, often at our own expense, to develop
and hone our skills in order to share our music. Yet with every
week that goes by, we see our music being devalued at every turn.
We should be embracing musicians
composers and artists, not trampling over them with the click of
a button.”
(Folkestone and Hythe)
(Con):...It is quite clear that people are seeking to extract
value from data that other people have created in order to create
products and tools from which they themselves will benefit
commercially. There are already lawsuits in the music industry
between musicians who
claim someone else has listened to and copied their work and
sought to benefit from it commercially. For example, someone
could take the back catalogue of every track ever written by the
Beatles to learn the techniques and methods. From that, they
could create new music composed in the same style, as if the
group was at its peak of writing and recording today. They would
do so without the consent of the rights holders of that content,
and they would make money out of it for themselves...
(Strangford) (DUP): The lockdowns were incredibly
hard for so many businesses, but the creative arts were the
forgotten business. I am pleased and proud to have been a member
of Ards Borough Council for some 26 years prior to coming here.
We had a massive focus on the creative arts. We promoted them
greatly and got much out of them, as did our communities. During
the covid crisis, for some three years, our musicians
actors, playwrights and theatre workers were unable to go to
work, and the only way of keeping things going was to put those
things online for people to enjoy and get a taster of...
(Warley) (Lab):...We should
also recognise that, as the hon. Member for Richmond Park said,
it is not just those at the top. Key to the Planning (Agent of
Change) Bill, which I introduced, was that nobody started by
playing the O2; they started off in small venues and they built
up. But people need to be able to sustain themselves. They need
to be able to get an income so that they can move from playing
part-time in the pub at the weekend to become
semi-professional musicians
failing sometimes but then coming back. Not everyone makes it,
and others decide it is not for them, but there are those who
come through, which is why we had support from so many major
stars for that campaign...
(Ochil and South Perthshire)
(SNP):...Speakers have already focused on the impact of
copyright, whether on established geniuses or on musicians who
aspire to great careers. Could it be that AI in this context is
just a euphemism for automated plagiarism? By its nature and
design, AI is derivative. The algorithms driving the AI, and many
others, are used to trawl the web, sucking up music, words and
images that it reimagines or conflates according to preset
guidelines. That all happens in a matter of seconds with little
or no regard for copyright and the moral rights of the original
creators...
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab):...As the hon.
Member for Strangford () said, it could very much undermine our
competitiveness in this key area. Last week, the singer, Rick
Astley, filed a lawsuit against another musician
for the impersonation of the classic hit, “Never Gonna Give You
Up”. We are talking about a charter for the automation and
industrialisation of such impersonations. I fail to understand
why the income of our artists, musicians and
creators is being risked in that way...
(Richmond Park) (LD):...I
thank not only all Members who participated in the debate, but
all the industry sector groups who spoke to me and my team about
the issues they are experiencing, and particularly the
artists, musicians and
performers who responded to the survey. It has been incredibly
useful to really understand this issue. I am particularly
grateful to Megan Harding, in my office, who brought all this
together and helped me with the debate...
For context, OPEN HERE
