The UK’s Data (Use and Access) Bill has finally passed through parliament without the protections for creatives that key industry figures and their House of Lords backers were hoping to secure.
The bill was introduced by the government to parliament in October of last year and covers a range of data regulations with an aim to “unlock the secure and effective use of data for the public interest, without adding pressures to the country’s finances”.
The sticking point for the creative industries was the fear that it would allow tech companies to train AI on copyrighted material, without the consent of the rights holder.
The House of Lords, the parliament’s second chamber, called for an amendment to the bill to better protect the rights of creatives, introduced by former filmmaker Baroness Beeban Kidron, a crossbench peer and director of Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason. A bill must be approved in the same form by both the House of Commons and House of Lords before becoming law.
A letter was signed by more than 400 UK musicians, writers and artists, addressed to Keir Starmer and calling for the prime minister to back Kidron’s amendment. Dua Lipa, Elton John, Ian McKellen, Kazuo Ishiguro, David Hare, Tom Stoppard and Richard Curtis were among the prominent figures who signed the letter.
The government refused the amendment, and said it is carrying out a separate consultation about copyright, and that there are also plans for a separate AI bill.
The bill was ping-ponging between the House of Commons and House of Lords for a month. It has now been passed, without the amendment, and will become law once royal assent is given.
Earlier this month, culture secretary Lisa Nandy told the Deloitte Enders Media Telecoms 2025 and Beyond conference, which brings together leaders in the media, tech and telecoms industries, that she was committed to a series of roundtables with the creative industries to help draft further AI legislation once the data bill has passed by parliament.
“We are determined to find a way forward that works for the creative industry and creators, as well as the tech industries,” said Nandy.
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