Proposals for regulating artificial intelligence are lagging by at least a year as the UK minister aims to advance a significant bill addressing the use of this technology and its associated copyrighted content.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is set to present a “detailed” AI bill in the upcoming Congressional session to tackle pressing issues, including safety and copyright concerns.
This delay in regulation raises concerns ahead of the next King’s speech. While no date has been confirmed for this event, some reports suggest it may occur in May 2026.
Initially, Labour had intended to introduce a concise, targeted AI bill shortly after taking office, focusing specifically on large-scale language models like CHATGPT.
The proposed legislation would have mandated companies to provide their models for assessment by the UK AI Security Institute, aiming to address fears that advanced AI models might pose threats to humanity.
However, with the bill behind schedule, the minister has opted to align with the approach of Donald Trump’s administration in the US, fearing that excessive regulations might dissuade AI companies from the UK.
Now, the minister is eager to incorporate copyright regulations for AI firms within the AI bill.
“We believe this framework can help us tackle copyright issues,” a government source commented. “We’ve been consulting with both creators and tech experts, and we’ve uncovered some intriguing ideas for the future. Once the data bill is finalized, our efforts will begin in earnest.”
The government is currently facing a dispute with the House over copyright provisions in a separate data bill. AI companies can utilize copyrighted materials for model training unless the rights holders opt out.
This has led to a strong backlash from the creative community, with notable artists like Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Kate Bush lending their support to a campaign against these changes.
Recently, Piers backed an amendment to the data bill that would require AI companies to declare whether they are using copyrighted materials for model training, ensuring compliance with existing copyright laws.
Despite Kyle’s expressed concerns over the government’s approach, he has resisted calls to backtrack. The government contends that the data bill does not adequately address copyright matters and has vowed to publish an economic impact evaluation alongside several technical papers on copyright and AI.
In a letter to legislators on Saturday, Kyle further pledged to create a cross-party working group on AI and copyright.
Beevan Kidron, a film director and crossbench peer advocating for the creative sector, remarked on Friday that the minister “has neglected the creative industry and disregarded Britain’s second-largest industrial sector.”
Kyle mentioned in Commons last month that AI and copyright should be included in another “comprehensive” legislative package.
An overwhelming majority of the UK populace (88%) believes the government should have the authority to halt AI product usage if deemed a significant risk. This finding was published in March by the ADA Lovelace Institute and the Alan Turing Institute, which shows that over 75% of people feel that safety oversight for AI should be managed by governments or regulators, alongside private companies.
Scott Singer, an AI specialist at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted: “The UK is strategically navigating between the US and the EU. Similar to the US, the UK is aiming to avoid overly stringent regulations that could stifle innovation while exploring meaningful consumer protection methods.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
