The amendments seek to clarify “compliance with UK copyright law by operators of web crawlers and general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) models”, and are being led by Baroness Kidron, an advocate for online privacy and safety, and whose career in the creative industries was as a TV and film director.

The amendments have been co-signed by Lord Clement-Jones, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Science; Lord Stevenson, former Labour Spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology; and Lord Freyberg.

Kidron, said copyright infringement and AI are “creating hardship as it creates an unsustainable asymmetry between organisations who make work and organisations who profit from it”.

She added that she is “very worried about the next generation of creators”, stressing that “we’re not anti-tech, we’re just trying to create a balance between one thing and another”.

The proposed clauses, which the PPA supports, would compel the Secretary of State to introduce regulations ensuring that operators of internet scrapers and AI systems adhere to UK copyright law.

The Government has not yet issued an official response to the amendments but is expected to soon be publishing a consultation on AI and copyright.

Sajeeda Merali, CEO, PPA commented: “People are turning to large language models seeking advice on a range of topics. But when ChatGPT gives you tips on gardening or creates the perfect marathon training plan, it is doing so using copyrighted works of trusted editorial brands. The generation of specialist content that we all rely on in our day-to-day lives is not free to produce. Publishers cannot sustain their businesses whilst having their work stolen and given away for free. The PPA will continue to urge the Government to roll out the necessary regulatory measures to tackle this ongoing problem”.