Concerning its approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright law, Elton John has slammed Britain’s Labour government.
Describing his government as “absolute losers” and feeling “incredibly betrayed” over plans to exempt major tech firms pursuing AI from aspects of copyright law, the legendary musician told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that ministers’ plans to allow AI firms to use artists’ content without paying and that that would be “committing theft, thievery on a high scale”
John’s intervention comes as the House of Lords aimed to force AI companies to disclose what material they were using to develop their programs but that their proposals were rejected by the House of Commons.
According to a government spokesperson, the BBC was told that “no changes” to copyright laws would be “considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators”.
Not the only musician to push back, Sir Elton was joined by Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, and Dua Lipa who are concerned about the U.K. government’s proposals to allow tech firms to use copyrighted material as training data.
Criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s team, Elton John said they would “rob young people of their legacy and their income”, adding that he thought they were “just being absolute losers, and I’m very angry about it” and describing Technology Secretary Peter Kyle as “a bit of a moron”.
The U.K. government has said it is “committed to publishing a report and economic impact assessment – exploring the broad range of issues and options on all sides of the debate”.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Raph_Ph