Our thinking

Make it Fair

28 February, 2025

Tuesday marked the end of the UK government’s consultation on allowing AI developers to train their models using copyrighted material. Labour’s upcoming AI Opportunity Action Plan pushes for scrapping copyright and IP laws to enable broader data-mining of art and writing. Critics warn this would strip creators of control as AI scrapes their work without consent, credit, or compensation. Music legends like Elton John and Paul McCartney have joined forces with publishers, artists, and media groups to fight back against Big Tech’s push for deregulation. 

In light of this context, the Make It Fair campaign has received significant coverage this week across national media outlets, urging the British public to write to MPs and demand AI firms compensate creators for their work. The campaign highlights the risk posed to the UK’s thriving creative industries, worth over £120 billion annually, if the government weakens copyright protections in favour of AI development. Think about it—no music, no art, no storytelling. Just a world of AI-generated mimicry. The children’s book author Ged Adamson puts it nicely: “Imagine asking ChatGPT to generate your child’s artwork instead of asking the child. And then sticking that on the fridge. It’s a horrible thought, isn’t it?”

In a similar vein, a powerful silent album, Is This What We Want?, has been released in protest, featuring over 1,000 musicians, including British icons Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Damon Albarn. The album is made up of recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. It’s a haunting preview of what could happen if AI companies are allowed to siphon off creative work for free. The creative industry is what Britain is famous for – if we don’t protect it, it will disappear.  

With the consultation officially closed, the question is: will the government listen? Time to turn up the volume on this debate. 

By Charlotte Pounder