Creators’ Rights Alliance Meets Lib Dem MPs in Parliament Amid Key AI Copyright Debate

This week, the Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA) held a parliamentary drop-in meeting with Liberal Democrats including Victoria Collins MP, Marie Goldman MP and Brian Matthew MP. The session, organised with the support of Max Wilkinson MP, offered an opportunity to discuss urgent issues facing UK creators’ around artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright protection.

The CRA brought along creators; illustrator Simona Ciraolo, author Harriet Evans, author and illustrator Woodrow Phoenix who spoke to MPs directly about experiences of having work stolen and imitated by Generative AI. 

CRA Vice Chairs Anna Ganley and Isabelle Doran attended along with Board member colleagues and creators. The discussions were both engaging and productive, highlighting the shared concerns of creators’ across disciplines.

This engagement forms part of the CRA’s ongoing work to advocate for creators’ rights. In recent months, the CRA has been actively meeting with MPs, briefing Peers in the House of Lords, and making the case that transparency is the bedrock of copyright enforcement in the age of AI. Without it, creators’ cannot know when their work has been used, nor can they seek fair compensation.

That afternoon it was especially heartening to hear Victoria Collins MP speak passionately in support of the amendment in the Commons citing the CRA in her speech.
“As much as I am sure that many creatives are excited about the possibilities, many will be questioning the implications for their industry, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Just this afternoon, I spoke to creatives from the Creators’ Rights Alliance, who have proof of their works being essentially copied against their will. Artists, writers, photographers, filmmakers, singers and songwriters are watching their life’s work swallowed up”

The current focus is on Amendment 49F to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, proposed by Baroness Kidron which requires AI companies to disclose the copyright-protected works used in training their models and explain how this data was sourced. Baroness Kidron has been a powerful voice for creators, stating during Lords debate: “Their property, their labour, is worthy of your protection, because apart from anything else, it’s not yours to give away.”

Very few Bills have gone this many rounds which is a clear indication of how deeply this issue resonates across party lines.

While the outcome on Tuesday is disappointing, the Amendment gets another vote today in the Lords.