The UK government has dropped its plan to let AI companies train on copyrighted work without permission. After a campaign backed by Paul McCartney, Elton John, Dua Lipa, and thousands of other creators, the proposed copyright exception is, in the government’s own words, “no longer the preferred way forward.” The creative industries are calling it a major victory. But the fight isn’t over.
What the government tried to do
Back in December 2024, the UK government launched a consultation on copyright and AI. Its preferred option was a new text-and-data-mining exception that would have allowed AI developers to scrape and train on any copyrighted material available online, books, journalism, music, images, scripts, unless the creator actively opted out. The burden was on the creators to say no. The default was yes.
Think about what that means. Every novel on a publisher’s website. Every news article. Every photograph is uploaded to a portfolio. Every song lyric. All of it is available for AI training by default, unless the creator has found a way to flag their objection in a machine-readable format. Critics called it legalising theft at scale.
The creative industries mobilised. The Society of Authors, the actors’ union Equity, ALCS, the Musicians’ Union, and dozens of other organisations ran a sustained campaign under the banner Make It Fair. Over 11,500 people and organisations responded to the consultation. 88% said they wanted copyright licences required before AI companies could use their work. That is an extraordinary level of consensus.
The campaign went well beyond industry bodies. Paul McCartney, Elton John, Dua Lipa, Thom Yorke, Richard Curtis, Ian McKellen, and Coldplay all spoke out publicly. At the London Book Fair earlier this month, 10,000 authors, including Kazuo Ishiguro, Richard Osman, and Philippa Gregory, published a deliberately empty book called Don’t Steal This Book. The only content was a list of their names. It was a protest and a statement.
What changed on 18 March
On 18 March, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall published the government’s Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, laid before Parliament as required by the Data (Use and Access) Act. In it, the government confirmed that a broad copyright exception with opt-out is no longer its preferred way forward.
Kendall’s statement to Parliament was direct. She said the original proposal was “overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of the creative industries.” She added: “We have listened.”
In practical terms, this means AI developers in the UK are back where they were. If you want to train on copyrighted content, you need permission. Either individual licences or collective licensing arrangements. There is no special legal exemption.
A win, but not the end
Anna Ganley, CEO of the Society of Authors, called the decision “a hard-won moment for authors and creators.” But she also warned that the uncertainty itself is damaging. She said: “Each day that the uncertainty continues is a risk to authors’ incomes.”
Equity’s General Secretary, Paul W Fleming, was blunter. He said the reversal was “recognition that selling out the UK’s creative industries to benefit US tech companies would’ve been an act of national self-sabotage.”
But not everyone is celebrating. Ed Newton-Rex, CEO of Fairly Trained, told The Times that the opt-out hasn’t been ruled out entirely. Four options remain on the table: leaving the law unchanged, requiring licensing, the now-deprioritised opt-out, and a full waiver with no opt-out at all. No legislation has been introduced. No timeline has been set.
Newton-Rex’s verdict? “Virtually everything is still on the table, including the opt-out. It’s just kicking the can down the road.”
My Take
Here’s what I take from this.
Collective action works. The creative industries showed what organised resistance looks like, and the government moved. That matters. Whether you’re an author, a musician, a photographer, or a communications professional whose work feeds the content ecosystem, this decision protects the principle that your work has value and shouldn’t be taken without consent.
But the sceptics are right to stay alert. The government hasn’t committed to requiring licensing. It hasn’t ruled out a future exception. It has said it will “take the time needed to get this right” and will not reform copyright law “until we are confident.” That’s a pause, not a resolution.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: the government’s own report acknowledges that its own indecision over the past year has damaged the licensing market it now says it wants to support. Uncertainty isn’t neutral. It chills investment, delays deals, and leaves creators exposed.
Back in episode 260, I covered the Disney-OpenAI licensing deal and the point that licensing, not litigation, is emerging as the path forward for AI and creative content. The UK government is now pointing in the same direction, towards a licensing market rather than a legal free pass. But pointing isn’t the same as arriving.
If you create content of any kind, know where you stand. Understand your rights. And keep paying attention, because this story has a long way to run.
I’m Joanne Sweeney. If you want to build your AI literacy and skills, I can help. Grab AI Playbook on Amazon, the perfect podcast companion. Subscribe to Human in the Loop on LinkedIn, take the CPD-accredited AI Playbook Diploma, or book a call at digitaltraining.ie. This has been AI SIX, thanks for listening.
Sources
UK Government Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (18 March 2026)
Liz Kendall’s Statement to Parliament (Hansard, 18 March 2026)
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-03-18/debates/26031818000010/CopyrightAndAI
Society of Authors response (18 March 2026)
Publishers Weekly – U.K. Reverses Course (18 March 2026)
The Register – UK backs off default AI training (19 March 2026)
https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/19/uk_ai_copyright
PetaPixel – UK Creatives Score Victory (19 March 2026)
https://petapixel.com/2026/03/19/uk-creatives-score-victory-against-ai-companies-in-training-dispute
Screen Daily – UK government changes position (18 March 2026)
Lewis Silkin – UK government kicks AI copyright reform down the road (19 March 2026)
Key Statistics
11,500+ responses to the UK government’s copyright and AI consultation
88% of respondents wanted copyright licences required for AI training
10,000 authors participated in the Don’t Steal This Book protest at the London Book Fair
£146 billion – GVA of the UK’s creative industries (2024)
UK AI sector growing 23 times faster than the rest of the economy (government figures)
4 policy options remain on the table, with no legislation introduced and no timeline set
If you want to build your AI literacy and skills, I can help.
📚 Grab AI Playbook on Amazon, the perfect podcast companion.
📰 Subscribe to Human in the Loop, my LinkedIn Newsletter
🎓 Take the CPD Accredited AI Playbook Diploma
📞 Book a call at digitaltraining.ie
About the Podcast Host
AI and Communications Specialist | Author | Podcaster | International Speaker
Joanne Sweeney is a recognised leader in digital marketing and digital transformation, specialising in the practical application of AI to enhance communication strategies. The founder of Digital Training Institute, Joanne, empowers leaders and communications professionals to leverage AI responsibly and effectively, ensuring transparency, trust, and tangible results.
She completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Programme in AI and Public Policy this summer before launching her fourth book AI Playbook, in September. Joanne has also published two editions of Public Sector Marketing Pro, which were preceded by her first title, Social Media Under Investigation Law Enforcement and the Social Web.
Her books have become go-to resources for governments, public sector and policing agencies, as well as marketing and communications professionals, all navigating the challenges of the changing Internet.
Joanne is the host of the AI SIX Podcast, a daily six-minute podcast that provides actionable insights, expert interviews, and practical advice to help professionals navigate the new world of work.
