The Society of Editors has joined a chorus of media organisations and creatives in calling on the Prime Minister to update copyright laws to protective the creative industry.

Ahead of a crucial vote in the House of Lords on Monday 12 May, the Society signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to back an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that would require developers to be transparent with copyright owners about how their content is used to train AI models. The move follows a rejection in the Commons on Wednesday 7 May of an amendment that would ensure copyright law was adhered to by AI firms with the legislation returning to the Lords this week.

The letter calls on Sir Keir Starmer to back Baroness Kidron’s amendment to the Bill, which would grant the creative sector “urgently needed transparency over the copyright works ingested by AI models”.

It reads: “We will lose an immense growth opportunity if we give our work away at the behest of a handful of powerful overseas tech companies and with it our future income, the UK’s position as a creative powerhouse and any hope that the technology of daily life will embody the values and laws of the United Kingdom.

“The first job of any government is to protect its citizens. So, we urge His Majesty’s Government to accept the Lords’ amendments in the name of Baroness Kidron that put transparency at the heart of the copyright regime and allow both AI developers and creators to develop licensing regimes that will allow for human-created content well into the future. These amendments recognise the crucial role that creative content plays in the development of generative AI. They will spur a dynamic licensing market that will enhance the role of human creativity in the UK, positioning us as a key player in the global AI supply chain.”