The British Labour government’s stance on copyright law and artificial intelligence (AI) has drawn criticism from Elton John.
The Tiny Dancer composer said he feels “incredibly betrayed” by the government’s plans to exempt large tech companies studying AI from some sections of copyright law, calling them “absolute losers.”
He said that officials’ intentions to permit AI companies to utilize artists’ work without payment would be “committing theft, thievery on a high scale” during his appearance on Sunday’s episode of the BBC with Laura Kuenssberg.
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Elton’s action coincides with the House of Lords’ attempt to compel AI firms to reveal the resources they used to create their software. The House of Commons rejected their recommendations.
The BBC was informed by a government spokeswoman that “no changes” to copyright laws will be “considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators”.
Many in the music industry, including Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, and Dua Lipa, have criticized the U.K. government’s plans to permit computer companies to utilize protected content as training data.
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Asserting that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration was “just being absolute losers, and I’m very angry about it,” Elton said they would “rob young people of their legacy and their income.”
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle was also referred to as “a bit of a moron” by him.
The United Kingdom government has stated that 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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