The TUC Congress today (Tuesday) committed to lobbying the government to better protect artists from exploitation by big tech for generative AI, after Equity’s motion on AI protections passed unanimously.
The composite motion was moved by Equity and the Musicians’ Union and noted that as generative AI continues to transform the arts and entertainment industry, artists frequently find that their image, likeness or voice has been used in generative AI without consent or remuneration. They find it being exploited for uses beyond those originally agreed, and for which engagers rely on broad transfers of intellectual property rights.
Meanwhile, the government intends to further weaken the protection provided by the current copyright regime, by introducing an exception to copyright where content is used for the purpose of training AI.
The motion called on congress to back Equity’s and our sister creative unions calls to protect creators’ rights including by:
- Campaigning for the implementation in full of ‘AI for Creative Workers: a TUC Manifesto’
- Lobbying government to introduce a regime of personality rights, under which artists could better protect and licence their voice, likeness and other aspects of their personal image;
- Working with the government and its newly created Information Commissioner to push for improved enforcement of data protection rights in respect of generative AI;
- Campaigning against the government’s intended introduction of a “text and data mining exception” to copyright protection.
Equity Councillor for East and South East England, Hywel Morgan, spoke to the motion. He said:
“If this government see AI as the golden goose that will rescue the economy, they're looking in the wrong place.
“Because it’s not the global tech companies that copy, clone or digitally manipulate data, but the workers who create the original, innovative and unique content in the first place that are the golden goose, and the government are in danger of killing it.”
The motion was supported by the National Union of Journalists, Artists’ Union of England and BECTU.
The TUC Congress runs from 7-10 September in Brighton. Read the full motion on the TUC website. Find out more about our campaign and what you can do to Stop AI Stealing the Show.
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