British artists and writers have pushed back against a UK government plan that would have let AI companies use their work for free. Now they are warning Australia not to follow the same path.
The UK government backed away from its proposal after a campaign that drew in some of the biggest names in music, film and books. Australia's Labor government is now facing criticism over a similar idea.
How the UK Campaign Worked
Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Abba's Björn Ulvaeus, actor Julianne Moore and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke were among those who signed letters and joined protests.
John called the government "absolute losers." He said the plan would "rob young people of their legacy and their income."
The effort went beyond celebrities. Beeban Kidron, a member of the House of Lords and a film director, pushed amendments in parliament that would have blocked the plans. She also helped organise celebrity support.
"People care about the songs, books and pictures that influence the critical moments in their lives," Kidron said.
Polling showed seven out of 10 UK adults supported paying royalties to copyright holders whose work was used to train AI models.
Composer and former AI executive Ed Newton-Rex organised two protests. The first was an album called Is This What We Want?, made of recordings from empty music studios and venues. More than 1,000 musicians backed it, including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox.
The second was a book called Don't Steal This Book. It listed the names of 10,000 writers in an otherwise empty paperback. Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman were among the contributors.
"There is no one out there, who does not work for an AI company, who thinks AI companies should not pay for the content they use," Newton-Rex said.
Warnings for Australia
Kidron said Albanese should pay attention. "Albanese has been a leader in standing up to tech. He should not squander his reputation by selling Australian creatives down the river," she said.
Pierre Andrews, a former culture policy adviser under Rishi Sunak's Conservative government, said UK Labour made a mistake. He said the party believed it could convince the creative industries to go along with the plan.
Andrews said many artists were surprised Labour would consider changing copyright rules against them. He expects Australia's government to reverse course as well.
The tech industry still argues both sides can benefit. Antony Walker, deputy chief executive of trade group techUK, said the government did not frame its first consultation well. He also said rights holders "were extremely effective at shouting down the debate."
In March, then UK technology secretary Liz Kendall said the "opt out" proposal was no longer the government's preferred option. Under that plan, tech firms could train on protected work unless artists opted out first.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not yet set out a new copyright policy. Any fresh attempt to change the rules would face an opposition that has already won once.
