Policy Brief: AI, Copyright, and Productivity in the Creative Industries

Abstract

Unresolved questions concerning copyright and AI are creating uncertainty for the future of several creative professions, and risk harming the productivity of the creative sector as a whole. In a lose-lose situation, the same uncertainty is also acting as a barrier to the development and uptake of Generative AI in the UK. Both the UK creative sector and UK AI sector are valuable for growth and productivity in the UK economy, both are focus sectors of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, and their future is interlinked. With this in mind, this report:

Examines the impacts Generative AI may have on the creative sector’s workforce and productivity; Explores the current copyright landscape in the UK and US as it relates to AI; Examines the challenges surrounding licencing agreements, performers’ rights, transparency provisions on AI systems, copyright in AI outputs, and false attribution; Considers the challenges posed by a Text Data Mining exemption.