The Trade Unions Congress (TUC), which represents most unionised workers in the UK, has called on the government to protect British creative workers amidst mass technological and AI innovation.
The body said the government’s proposal of an ‘opt out’ system must go further to protect those in the creative sector, including writers, journalists, musicians, and artists.
The TUC – which represents 48 unions – is calling for transparency around what data is being used to train AI, an ‘opt out’ system so creatives can protect work from commercial data mining, and that creatives are paid fairly if their work is used to train AI.
The TUC also called for an independent regulator to address how AI is going to be integrated into society and impact British workplaces.
This call for action comes off the back of last week’s ‘Make It Fair’ campaign, which saw leading UK newspapers, including the Guardian and The Telegraph, sport the same front-page cover in protest against the current ‘opt out’ proposal.
Creative industry figures, including Kate Bush and Paul McCartney, have also spoken out against the use of copyrighted works in training AI models.
“The government should change direction on current proposals and go further to protect creative workers and safeguard the future of the creative industries,” Paul Nowak, TUC’s general secretary, told the BBC.
“The sector is a jewel in the crown of our economy and vital for growth. The clock is ticking. Without proper guardrails put in place, rapacious tech bosses will continue to cash in on creatives’ work without their consent.”
