The UK opens a consultation on AI and copyright, aiming to offer an “opt out” exception to copyright law, forcing companies to open models to scrutiny, and more
Campaign for Protection of Rights Fights Back Jeremy Kahn / Fortune : Top AI labs aren't doing enough to ensure AI is safe, a flurry of recent datapoints suggest Find out how algorithmic tools are used … : Find out how algorithmic tools are used in public organisations Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch : UK consults on opt-out model for training AIs on copyrighted content Colin Mann / Advanced Television : UK creatives fear AI copyright waiver The Bookseller : Kate Mosse criticises new government proposal on AI: 'Opt-out solution won't work' PYMNTS.com : UK Aims to Regulate AI's Use of Copyrighted Materials The Mirror : Government launches consultation on copyrighted material being used to train AI Ryan Browne / CNBC : UK kicks off review into training AI models on copyrighted content Cliff Saran / ComputerWeekly.com : UK government looks to rewrite copyright rules for AI training Martyn Landi / The Independent : Government launches consultation on copyrighted material being used to train AI Bluesky: Andy Oliver / @andywpoliver : Google have already stolen my @brokenfrontier.bsky.social work for their AI search results top-of-the-page summaries without permission, accreditation or compensation. F*** this AI capitulation to tech firms from our government. www.theguardian.com/technology/ 2... Tom Humberstone / @tomhumberstone.com : Who could possibly have predicted that this current Labour govt. - on record for having 100s of meeting with corporate lobbyists (literally having a meeting a day) and already embroiled in a “giftgate” scandal - would roll over for tech companies www.theguardian.com/technology/ 2... @jeffjarvis : This is good policy. The media industry will scream like stuck pigs even though especially news relies on similar rights. — UK proposes letting tech firms use copyrighted work to train AI — www.theguardian.com/technology/ 2... Prof Bill McGuire / @profbillmcguire : What a disgraceful and stupid cop-out by the government — Kow-towing to the tech-bros once again — They should, in every case, have to request permission to use copyrighted material, and - if granted - should pay the price — www.theguardian.com/technology/ 2... Jacob Croft / @jakeillustrates : I'm blown away by how well this post has performed and am incredibly grateful to everyone who boosted it. — The Consultation with the government is now Live. They're actively discussing making opt-out the norm RIGHT NOW. — Now is the time to make your voice heard. — www.gov.uk/government/c... … Mastodon: @amorphophalex@mastodon.social : https://www.theguardian.com/ ... I knew it would end up heading in this direction. As long as AI has tons of investor money, they'll buy their way out of being held accountable. They'll loosen copyright in a way that ONLY impacts individual artists and corner them into either … X: @scitechgovuk : We're publishing new records of how we're using AI to safely make quick decisions and cut backlogs. These records highlight our commitment to transparency when using AI and how it is improving public services for people across the country. @scitechgovuk : We're proposing new laws on copyright and AI to give: ➡️legal clarity to creative & AI sectors ➡️creators more control and payment for their material ➡️AI developers access to material to train models, boosting AI adoption and growth Submit your views to @The_IPO 👇 @the_ipo : The UK government AI and Copyright Consultation opens today. We want to hear from a wide range of voices. Respond to the consultation to share your views. [Link]: https://www.gov.uk/... [video] Peter Kyle / @peterkyle : Today @SciTechgovuk and @DCMS have begun consulting on a AI and copyright package we believe balances strong protections for creators while removing barriers to AI innovation. We want to hear from a wide range of voices. Respond to the consultation here: https://www.gov.uk/... LinkedIn: Lee Tiedrich : As the #EUAIOffice continues developing an #AICodeofPractice focusing on #copyright and other topics, the Intellectual Property Office UK released a consultation on #AI and #copyright. … Forums: r/ukpolitics : UK proposes letting tech firms use copyrighted work to train AI r/unitedkingdom : UK proposes letting tech firms use copyrighted work to train AI r/technology : UK proposes letting tech firms use copyrighted work to train AI
Context & Ripple Effects
The consultation frames AI-training access as a trade-off between creators’ control and payment and developers’ need for legal certainty. Its proposed scrutiny measures parallel the EU’s earlier generative-AI training-data disclosure approach, placing transparency alongside copyright as a policy lever.
The approach quickly exposed a conflict over whether an opt-out mechanism is workable: later coverage records OpenAI and Google’s rejection of the UK proposal, and the government subsequently considered delaying changes after consultation responses failed to favor its options.
First-order effects
- The consultation immediately gives creators, rights holders and AI developers a formal venue to contest the proposed rules; it does not itself alter copyright law.
- If adopted, the package would create an AI-training pathway based on rights holders reserving their rights and would subject developers to greater model scrutiny.
Second-order effects
- An opt-out system would make reliable rights-reservation and model-audit processes more important for AI developers, while increasing the practical burden of determining which material may be used for training.
- The proposal shifts bargaining power toward the operational details of creator control and compensation, rather than resolving the underlying disagreement over permission-based versus opt-out access.
Third-order effects
- Continued disagreement could leave AI-training copyright governed by a patchwork of consultation outcomes, voluntary practices and litigation risk rather than a settled UK rule; the later planned delay in rule changes illustrates that constraint.
- The UK debate is part of a broader move to make generative-AI developers accountable for training inputs, but the eventual balance between disclosure, opt-outs and licensing remains unsettled.
The trend: AI copyright policy is moving from abstract questions of training legality toward enforceable mechanisms for transparency, rights reservation and creator compensation.