Sir Elton John and Simon Cowell call for creative talent to be protected from AI

Sir Elton John and Simon Cowell have called on the Government to rethink proposals to relax copyright rules in a bid to protect creative talent from artificial intelligence (AI).

They have backed a campaign calling for plans to allow big firms to use online material for AI without paying the creators to be changed.

Under the proposals, creators would need to opt out to prevent their work from being used.

Sir Elton described the UK’s creative sector as the “envy of the world” but said the plan risked giving away that position.

“We only achieved that success with the backing of our long-standing copyright protection – the world’s gold standard,” he told the Daily Mail, saying creative industries create jobs and economic growth.

“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.”

X Factor creator Cowell said a failure to regulate AI properly risked artists and people working behind the scenes “being wiped out”.

“The thought that anyone would believe they have the right to blindly give this country’s creative ideas away – for nothing – is just wrong,” he wrote in the Mail. “I passionately care about people’s personal creativity – and AI shouldn’t be able to steal the talent of those humans who created the magic in the first place.

“Anyone who is able to create something they passionately care about deserves to have their work protected.”

Among other artists supporting the Mail’s campaign are singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, Bafta-winning composer Nick Foster and author Kate Mosse, who said she supported the “possibilities” of AI, but ensuring tech companies pay for artists’ work was “a matter of principle, of fairness”.

She called for the Government to introduce a system where AI companies seek permission to use work and offer payment, allowing the creators to “opt-in” rather than the current proposal.

In December, Sir Keir Starmer told the Liaison Committee described the UK’s creative industries as “really important” and said the Government was consulting on its proposals.

“I think we need to get the balance right, but I also think we have a huge opportunity,” he said.