Source: The Guardian

Statement asks government to help stop AI tools ‘using copyright-protected works with impunity’

By Ella Creamer; Tue 31 Oct 2023 01.00 EDT

Four leading publishing trade associations have urged the UK government to help end the “unfettered, opaque development” of artificial intelligence tools that use copyright-protected works “with impunity.”

The statement, released Tuesday, was co-signed by the Publishers Association, the Society of Authors, the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society and the Association of Authors’ Agents. It is the first joint statement from the publishing trade bodies on AI.

It comes the day before the government’s AI safety summit, scheduled to take place at Bletchley Park across Wednesday and Thursday. The publishing bodies said they applauded Rishi Sunak for convening the first summit of its kind and for “positioning the UK as a facilitator for strong global action” on AI, but they urged the prime minister to make a “statement of commitment” to protect human creativity, intellectual property, publishing and the creative industries as the technology evolves.