Fury as Lords accuse Government of ‘manipulating’ procedure to block AI reform
Peers have accused the Government of using covert procedure to dodge an AI reform backed by the Lords, which would require companies to reveal their use of copyrighted content.
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The Government is accused of using a covert procedure to block an amendment that would require Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies to disclose their use of copyright-protected content.
The Government blocked the transparency amendment, which aims to ensure copyright holders have to give permission for their work to be used and are able to see what aspects have been taken by who and when, out of the Bill’s draft text.
The block was applied by invoking financial privilege. This means there is allegedly no budget available for new regulations.
The Bill was subject to a vote on Wednesday afternoon, and the amendment was passed by 272 votes to 125 in a Lords debate last week.
Data protection minister Chris Bryant told MPs that, although he recognised that for many in the creative industries this “feels like an apocalyptic moment”, he did not think the transparency amendment delivered the required solutions.
He argued that changes needed to be completed “in the round and not just piecemeal”.
The sooner the data bill was passed, the quicker he would be able to make progress on updating copyright law, Mr Bryant said.
Crossbench peer Lady Beeban Kidron said it was “astonishing" a Labour government would "abandon the labour force of an entire sector".
She said: "My inbox is filled with individual artists and global companies who are bewildered that the government would allow theft at scale and cosy up to those who are thieving.
“The government failed to answer its own backbenchers who repeatedly asked ‘if not now then when?’ It is for government to set the laws and incentivise companies to obey it, not run round tables trying to work out technical solutions that they are not fit to provide."