National and regional news outlets from across the UK have come together to put their weight behind a new awareness campaign calling out the threat posed by big tech’s generative AI models.
Designed to protect the traditional media and creative industries from the perceived threat posed by the rapidly evolving AI technologies pushed out by Google and OpenAI, the campaign can be seen across all major UK newspapers and news sites.
Calling on the government to ‘Make it Fair’, the work warns against Downing Street’s plans to relax regulations around how big tech can use British-made creative content to power their AI models without clear permission or payment.
Running across the website homepages of the Guardian, the Times, The Mirror, The Sun, The Independent and the MailOnline, the campaign will also benefit from donated space by a range of out-of-home media owners.
“We already have gold-standard copyright laws in the UK. They have underpinned growth and job creation in the creative economy across the UK – supporting some of the world’s greatest creators – artists, authors, journalists, scriptwriters, singers and songwriters to name but a few,” said Owen Meredith, News Media Association CEO.
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“For a healthy democratic society, copyright is fundamental to publishers’ ability to invest in trusted quality journalism. The only thing which needs affirming is that these laws also apply to AI, and transparency requirements should be introduced to allow creators to understand when their content is being used. Instead, the government proposes to weaken the law and essentially make it legal to steal content.
He continued: “There will be no AI innovation without the high-quality content that is the essential fuel for AI models. We’re appealing to the great British public to get behind our ‘Make it fair’ campaign and call on the government to guarantee creatives are able to secure proper financial reward from AI firms to ensure a sustainable future for both AI and the creative industries.”
The move comes as the government’s widespread consultation into copyright and AI draws to a close. It will now decide whether or not to allow tech companies to use content without permission from creators, unless the latter expressly refuses.
At the consultation’s conclusion, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology will review responses from across the creative and media industries before coming to a final verdict.
