Artificial Intelligence

We work alongside publishers and industry partners to support the industry as it navigates rapid new developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Our work on AI underscores our commitment to responsible, transparent, and ethical integration of AI in the industry.

UK Government’s Copyright and AI consultation

The Government’s consultation into Copyright and AI and copyright closed on 25 February. You can read:

• our statement on the close of the consultation
• our full response to the consultation

Annexes submitted with the consultation:

• Legal Opinion of Nicholas Caddick KC
• Verbatim reproductions of Harry Potter – Meta’s Llama 3
• Legal Analysis on Infringement and Exceptions
• Briefing on Opt -Out Workability

AI Taskforce

In 2023, we launched the AI Taskforce for members of the Publishers Association to support the publishing industry with the advancements in AI technology. Brigid Evans, Director of Government Relations at Pearson is Chair of the taskforce.  

Publishers Association response to UK Government White Paper on AI regulation 

The Publishers Association responded to the government’s white paper on the regulation of AI in June 2023. The publishing sector stands ready to support further innovation and looks forward to what the future looks like for publishing, but we remain concerned about aspects of generative AI, including compliance with copyright law. Read the full response here.  

Global Summit on AI: The importance of intellectual property to the success of safe AI 

At the end of August 2023, we wrote to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to ask that he use the AI Safety Summit as an opportunity to make clear that UK intellectual property law must be respected when any content is ingested by AI systems. The Publishers Association urges the government to make a statement on the need for tech firms to respect copyright and IP law while also supporting the relevant government departments in taking action that will put in place the right business conditions for AI development in the UK. 

The Publishers Association stands ready to embrace safe, secure and transparent AI that will benefit many across society. As equal partners, the creative and tech sectors show huge growth potential, and it is imperative that the UK’s world leading content industries are supported in parallel to AI development.  

Read the full letter here.  

Global Trade bodies issue joint statement on AI 

In October 2023, we released a joint statement with the Society of Authors, Authors’ Licensing Collecting Society (ALCS) and Association of Authors Agents calling on the Prime Minister to put in place some tangible solutions to protect the human creativity and knowledge that underpins safe and reliable AI. 

IPO working group    

The Publishers Association is part of a working group led by the Intellectual Property Office with the aim of establishing a code of practice on copyright and AI. The members of the working group include representatives from the creative, technology and research sectors.  

Evidence to the Lords Communications and Digital Committee      

The Publishers Association sent written evidence to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s inquiry into large language models. Following this, we were called to give oral evidence to the committee. Dan Conway gave evidence on 7^th November 2023 at a session on copyright, intellectual property and data privacy. 

Stay tuned for more updates on our AI initiatives and their impact on the world of publishing.