UK Creators Seek Share of AI and Device Revenue Worth £300M
A coalition of UK creators argues tech firms and device makers should pay for copyrighted work, potentially generating £300m annually.
A group of UK creative industry advocates is calling on artificial intelligence companies and device manufacturers to compensate creators whose work underpins their products, arguing the practice could generate up to £300 million a year in additional income for Britain's creative sector.
The call comes in response to Anthropic's announcement that it would commit 5% of its shares to a fund for the public good. The advocates argue that before AI firms make such pledges, they should first ensure direct payment to the writers, artists, and other creators whose work was used to train their systems.
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Beyond AI companies, the letter's signatories point to device manufacturers as bearing a separate but related responsibility. Smartphones, computers, and similar hardware enable users to copy and store creative content, yet the United Kingdom has no private-copying payment scheme for creators — a gap that stands in contrast to more than 40 other countries that have established such compensation mechanisms.
The absence of a UK private-copying levy has long been a source of frustration among rights holders. Proponents argue that aligning British policy with international norms would not only provide a revenue stream for creators but also reflect the principle that those who generate value from creative work should share in the returns it produces.
Continue reading at Business | The Guardian
