House of Lords report on Large Language Models: Government should act, considering legislative changes if necessary

A report released today calls on the UK government to “not sit on their hands’ while LLM developers exploit rightsholders’ works.

On the release of the report, DACS has published the below statement:

DACS welcomes the findings in the House of Lord’s report on Large Language Models and generative AI published today. The call on Government to “not sit on their hands” while LLM developers exploit the works of rightsholders is very timely, as more rightsholders seek guidance from the courts. Amongst general concerns about competition between open and closed models, market dominance and an international race to create the best marketplace for AI companies to establish business, ethical and legal concerns about the unauthorised use of creators works for training purposes were highlighted. The report echoes findings from DACS’ AI survey, that some tech firms are using copyrighted material without permission and reaping vast financial rewards, with no royalties going back to creators. The Lords’ assertion that the reason for copyright is to reward creators for their efforts, prevent others from using works without permission, and incentivise innovation, in particular by creators, is paramount. DACS supports the view that the Government has a duty to act and cannot simply refer rightsholders to lengthy and costly court processes. 

Read the full report: ‘Large Language Models and Generative AI’

Read DACS’ report: ‘Artificial Intelligence and Artist’s Work’