Lord Holmes of Richmond (the sponsor of the Artificial Intelligence Regulation Private Members’ Bill), opened the debate, which asked ministers what steps they are taking to protect intellectual property rights concerning AI since discontinuing plans to develop an AI copyright code of practice.

The Minister for AI, Viscount Camrose, said the Government is working with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to develop a way forward on copyright and AI.

In March, ahead of a debate on Lord Holmes’ AI Bill, the PPA met with the peer, alongside various stakeholders and discussed how the Bill speaks to the specialist publishing sector. In this most recent debate, Lord Holmes spoke to how regulation is mandatory to ensure the integrity of the creative sector is maintained, stating it contributes billions to the UK economy.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston (also the chair for the Digital and Communications Committee) raised concerns after having written to the Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, regarding the department’s response to the committee’s report on generative AI and large language models. The letter said the committee is “not persuaded that Government is investing enough creativity, resources, and political heft to address the problem [of copyright]”. The report also said that “issues with copyright are manifesting right now and problematic business models are becoming entrenched and normalised”.

The PPA has been in contact with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to identify the ways that Department of Science, Innovation and Technology is planning on developing the best way forward on copyright and AI for our sector.

Lord Holmes’ Bill will be entering the next stage where it will be debated in the House of Commons. Since this is a private members’ Bill, this is an unusual step.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more, contact our Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Eilidh.wilson@ppa.co.uk.