A senior UK ministerial aide has said that AI companies will never legally have to compensate creatives for using their work to train AI systems, according to statements seen by The Guardian.

Kirsty Innes, special adviser to science, innovation and technology secretary Liz Kendall, made the remarks in now-deleted posts on X from February, seven months before taking her government role.

The UK government is currently consulting on whether AI firms should pay artists, writers, and musicians for use of their content, amid calls from prominent figures like Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, and Kate Bush for stronger creator protections.

Labour’s proposed copyright reforms have drawn criticism from the creative sector, as one option would allow AI companies to use copyrighted work unless creators opt out.

Some publishers, including The Guardian and Financial Times, have already signed licensing agreements with OpenAI for content use in ChatGPT.

The government has since said that requiring creatives to opt out is no longer its preferred approach, and has formed working groups to address the issue.

🔗 Source: The Guardian