The recently appointed minister for AI and digital government in Labour’s administration anticipates that copyright conflicts between British AI enterprises and the creative sector will be resolved by the year’s end.

Feryal Clark made these remarks at The Times Tech Summit, indicating that the solution may involve either amending existing legislation or introducing entirely new laws.

“The specifics on whether this will be through new legislation or amendments to current policies are still being determined. However, we are actively working to clarify the situation for both the AI industry and the creative sector,” she stated.

Clark emphasized the significance of both sectors to the UK economy and acknowledged the prolonged nature of these disputes.

When asked about the timeline for a potential agreement, Clark expressed optimism that a resolution could be reached “in the very near future, by the end of this year.”

This statement marks a shift from earlier commitments made by Clark at the Labour Party conference, where she suggested that she was in the process of advancing legislation and aiming to initiate consultations soon, potentially as early as October.

Addressing the long-standing copyright issues is critical for preserving the UK’s position as a leader in advanced AI research.

In March 2023, Sir Patrick Vallance highlighted the urgent need to eliminate barriers preventing AI firms from accessing copyright material necessary for model training.

The UK’s current legal framework prohibits unauthorized copying of copyrighted content for AI model training, with allowances strictly limited to non-commercial use.

The previous Conservative administration faced challenges in negotiating an agreement between stakeholders from the creative industries and AI companies regarding the use of copyrighted material. In February, it was announced that the government would not be able to facilitate a voluntary code between the two sectors.

Clark expressed her desire to prioritize AI initiatives within government operations and enhance the UK’s leading role in the AI market, stating, “There is a strategy in place to stimulate economic growth, improve public services, and enhance the quality of life for workers across the nation.”

This includes an examination of current public service delivery and the identification of areas where AI can create transformative opportunities.

Nevertheless, during the summit, Neil Lawrence, a machine learning professor at the University of Cambridge, cautioned against the risky implications of replacing elements of public services with AI technologies.

The Labour government has recently scrapped several significant AI projects that were proposed by the preceding Conservative administration, including an £800 million exascale supercomputer project at Edinburgh University designed for complex calculations.

Clark asserted that insufficient funding was allocated to these projects under the previous government but remarked that Labour is “fully committed” to reassessing these initiatives moving forward.

In line with the Labour Party’s manifesto, Clark confirmed that the new government plans to introduce an AI bill, which will have a “very narrow scope” focusing on the “frontier models of the future” instead of simpler AI systems.

She also mentioned ongoing discussions within the sector aimed at formalizing the AI Safety Institute, established in April 2023, and solidifying commitments made during the AI Safety Summit held last November.