Elton John, Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Florence Welch are among the more than 400 artists who have signed a letter addressed to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ask for an update of copyright laws in the face of the advance of artificial intelligence.
“Together with 400 other artists we signed and sent this letter to the Prime Minister, soliciting the government to support proposals that protect copyright in the AI era,” wrote Elton John on social media. “This occurs in view of a crucial vote on the issue scheduled for Monday 12 May in the Chamber of Lord”.
Paul McCartney, who had already appealed for greater protection of copyright in an interview with the BBC, also signed the letter. With him Kate Bush, Robbie Williams and hundreds of other musicians, actors, playwrights, directors and artists.
“Copy law is the beating heart of cultural industries. It recognizes our moral authority on the works and guarantees a source of income to 2.4 million people in the four nations of the United Kingdom “, reads the letter.
«The struggle to defend our creative industries united dozens of British companies, including those that develop and use artificial intelligence. We are not against progress or innovation. Creative industries have always been among the first to adopt new technologies. In fact, many of the greatest inventions in the world – from the light bulb to the same – were born thanks to creative minds of the United Kingdom who confronted themselves with technology “.
The signatories expressed their support for the date (Use and Access) Bill, a bill that, according to what reported by the BBC, would require developers to be transparent with the owners of copyright on the use of their works for training artificial intelligence models. The bill was presented by Baroness Beeban Kidron and will be voted on Monday at the Chamber of Lord.
“The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens”, continues the letter, underlining that the bill “would put transparency at the center of the copyright system and would allow both IA developers and human creators to develop license regimes that guarantee the production of content created by human beings also in the future”.
Last December artists, publishers, production houses and other realities joined the Creative Rights in Ai Coalition, an alliance born with the aim of maintaining the current copyright protections despite the continuous courtship by the United Kingdom towards technology linked to artificial intelligence.
«We are the people, you are the government. You should protect us. This is your work, “said Paul McCartney by contacting the legislators in an interview with the BBC at the beginning of this year. «So, if you are approving a law, be sure to protect creative thinkers, the artists: otherwise you will no longer have them. If there is really something like a government, I believe it is his responsibility to protect young people and encourage all this to work. So that these people can have a job and enrich the world with wonderful art ».
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