Writers Guild President Sandy Toksvig warns on AI consultation

In a statement on the WGGB website, Toksvig says that if the plans go forward it will lead to a “fundamental change to how copyright works”, one that “gives tech companies an incredible ability to take what they like, when they like, without informing or compensating the writers of the work they use to train their models.”

The Government’s consultation on copyright and AI ended at midnight on 25 February. The Government's preferred option is to adopt a new text-and-data mining (TDM) exception to copyright that will allow AI companies to mine copyright-protected works for AI training purposes provided the rightsholder has not "reserved their rights" or "opted out".

However, Toksvig argues that opt-outs don’t work. “It’s not always possible for creators to put in place the measures on every copy of their work to stop it from being scraped from online sources. Even if there are measures, the ones which are currently available are ineffective and can be circumvented by AI companies anyway. The EU has tried to implement this approach but has been found wanting.”

She says that if AI companies want to make use of the output of UK writers and creators, they should have to seek proper permission and pay for it. 

Toksvig says that the creative industry's £125bn contribution to the economy “risks being fundamentally undermined by the Government’s proposed changes”.

Toksvig calls for “everyone to respond to the Government’s consultation, rejecting their preferred option and encouraging them to introduce proper transparency measures.”