Sir Keir Starmer has promised to listen to artists and musicians before pushing ahead with his new plans to unleash an artificial intelligence revolution on the British economy.
Pop legends Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are among a large group of music artists raising serious concerns about the impact of AI on copyright, warning that it could leave creatives unable to make a living.
The two are responsible for some of the UK’s most enduring music, including “Yesterday”, “Hey Jude” and “Candle in the Wind”.
A consultation on AI has now closed but Sir Keir told journalists during a trip to Washington DC that he will look carefully at responses and have a review before pressing ahead with his plans.
After Sir Paul and Sir Elton’s concerns were put directly to him, the prime minister said: “We’ve had a consultation. We will review the responses to the consultation. The creative sector is obviously really important to our economy. AI is really important to our economy and we’ll review it in that light.
“But I’ll be clear, I want creatives to thrive. I think they’re really important for our country – not just the contribution to the economy but our global reputation.”
Beatles legend Sir Paul has claimed that AI will “rip off” artists.
In an interview for Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Paul said: "When we were kids in Liverpool, we found a job that we loved, but it also paid the bills". He warned the AI proposals would remove incentives for writers and artists and result in a "loss of creativity".
He claimed that the tech revolution would in effect create a “wild west” in the creative industries.
“You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don't own it," he said.
"They don't have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off.
"The truth is, the money's going somewhere. Somebody's getting paid, so why shouldn't it be the guy who sat down and wrote ‘Yesterday’?"
He appealed: "We're the people, you're the government! You're supposed to protect us. That's your job.
"So you know, if you're putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you're not going to have them."
Sir Elton told the Daily Mail: “We only achieved success with the backing of our longstanding copyright protection – the world’s gold standard.
“The music community has always been quick to adopt new technologies … but adoption of this copyright exception would destroy the UK’s leadership that has been hard won, and what’s worse, it would give it all away. For nothing.”
