CRA responds to Lords Committee report on AI and copyright
11 March 2026
The Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA) welcomes the findings and recommendations published in the Lords’ Committee report , which strongly advises the Government to prioritise the UK’s creative industries over the interests of large, multinational tech firms, and highlights the damage that unhindered generative AI has already done to creators’ livelihoods.
The CRA, which represents over 500,000 creators from 21 member organisations, has long argued that UK copyright law is the gold standard and does not need amending for AI training purposes. We therefore agree with the Committee that existing copyright law enforcement should be strengthened, with AI developers’ actions assessed under ordinary copyright principles.
The Committee’s recommendations are in line with existing Creators’ Rights Alliance positions, particularly that the Government should:
Rule out any reform to the law that would remove the incentive to license copyrighted works for AI training i.e. require developers to seek permission and pay creators, and “should instead focus on strengthening licensing, transparency and enforcement”
Rule out a new commercial Text and Data Mining exception with an opt-out-based rights reservation mechanism which would severely weaken creators’ rights
Publish a “licensing-first” default position as soon as possible, making it clear that creators’ rights will be protected
Introduce protections against unauthorised digital replicas and 'in the style of' uses to give creators and performers clear, enforceable control over the commercial exploitation of their identity
Seek to set best practice for a clear, proportionate framework for transparency reporting on data use in AI training, beyond existing voluntary practice
Bring forward legislation requiring AI-generated content available to the public to be labelled as such
In addition to the report’s recommendations, we recommend that any UK licensing marketplace contains mechanisms to ensure that remuneration reaches individual creators, and that remuneration is fair to creators and performers.
We question the timeline the Committee recommends for the Government to take 12 months to finalise its decision on copyright and AI, and urge a more swift redress to the economic crisis many of our creators and performers are facing. Over the past year or more, the Government’s lack of position has created a sense of uncertainty about UK copyright law, making it easy for unethical AI developers to continue scraping copyrighted works without consequence. Much of the damage to creators’ rights has already been done. Creators cannot wait another year for the Government to take action to protect their rights and livelihoods.
Isabelle Doran, CEO Association of Photographers and Co-Vice Chair, Creators Rights Alliance, said:
"It's hugely positive to read both the depth of this report and the list of recommendations proposed by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee. We thank Baroness Keeley and the committee for the opportunity to share our concerns. We hope to see the recommendations supporting creators' and performers’ livelihoods, acted upon as quickly as possible within the next 12 months. Our members need decisive action that supports, not supplants, their professions."
This statement is the Creators’ Rights Alliance response to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee report, ‘AI, copyright and the creative industries’, published on 6th March 2026. The report follows their inquiry into AI and copyright, in which they have heard from numerous witnesses including the Creators’ Rights Alliance Chair and Co-Vice Chair.
