Unless keeping up to date with current affairs isn’t your thing, you’ll likely not have missed the mass unification of the UK media on Tuesday 25th February to take a stand against the proposed changes to UK law, which will allow tech platforms to use creative content to power AI.
A day that saw the entire creative industry stand together – and each major newspaper don a blue front cover – as the government consults on changes that will enable AI platforms to use British creatives’ work without their consent.
Creative talent un the UK generates over £120 billion per year to help power the economy. And while AI has the ability to ‘power up’ pretty much every industry, it doesn’t mean it has the right to use the work produced by others.
It was only four months ago that the government published its proposal to change the way AI platforms are exempt from copyright laws, however the latter part of the change ‘the right to reservation model’ means creators would have to ‘opt out’ of allowing AI platforms to use their materials. And, while this is an option for creatives to ensure their work isn’t used elsewhere, is it really possible to police such a thing on this scale? Particularly when you think about the sheer volume of content online.
If left unchecked, or the government legitimises this practice, the impact on our industry will be devastating. Yes, the information and content produced by AI must have come from somewhere - it’s constantly learning and giving us new information, but if creatives are to have any kind of future, then fair payment for their work is essential, just as it is in any sector.
This campaign against the government’s proposal feels somewhat similar to the anti-copyright infringement advert that used the headline ‘you wouldn’t steal a car’ back in 2004 – despite the two being over 20 years apart, the message still stands – it's not innovation, it’s just taking someone else's work.
We’re definitely not against AI at Yasper, like many in our industry, we’ve embraced where it can help us generate ideas for content or help us streamline tasks for the benefit of our clients, but one thing it hasn’t done, is replace our craft and knowledge.
The speed at which AI can produce content can’t be matched by humans, but the craft that goes into drafting a compelling narrative that has a desired impact can’t be matched by AI either. There’s also a quote that’s recently surfaced, that accurately conveys creatives’ thoughts on AI: “You know what the biggest problem with pushing all things AI is? Wrong direction. I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes."
While we’d all more than likely prefer the above to be true, AI does have its place in today's society, especially with people being busier than they ever have been. That doesn’t mean however, that AI powered platforms should have the right to other people’s hard work without them being rewarded for it.
If you would like to find out more about the government’s plans to change the UK’s law to favour tech platforms, please visit newsmediauk.org