As UK policymakers consider how to regulate the AI industry, Nick Clegg, former UK deputy prime minister and ex-Meta executive, argued that pushing for artists' consent would “basically kill” the AI industry. Speaking at an event promoting his new book, Clegg acknowledged that the creative community should have the right to opt out of having their work used to train AI models. However, he insisted it isn’t practical to seek consent before using their work. “I think the creative community wants to go a step further, ” Clegg said, according to The Times. “Many voices say, ‘You can only train on my content if you first ask. ’ And I have to say that seems somewhat implausible because these systems train on vast amounts of data. ” “I just don’t know how you could feasibly ask everyone first. I don’t see how that would work, ” Clegg added.

“And if you did this in Britain but nowhere else, you would basically kill the AI industry in this country overnight. ” These remarks come amid ongoing debates in Parliament over new legislation aimed at giving creative industries more transparency on how AI companies use their work. An amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill would require technology firms to disclose which copyrighted works were used to train AI models. Hundreds of musicians, writers, designers, and journalists—including Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa, Elton John, and Andrew Lloyd Webber—signed an open letter in early May supporting the amendment. Introduced by film producer and director Beeban Kidron, the amendment has gained some support but was rejected by members of parliament on Thursday. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle stated that “Britain’s economy needs both [AI and creative] sectors to succeed and to prosper. ” Kidron and others argue that transparency would help enforce copyright law and discourage AI companies from “stealing” work by requiring disclosure of the content used for training. In a Guardian op-ed, Kidron pledged that “the fight isn’t over yet, ” as the Data (Use and Access) Bill returns to the House of Lords in early June.