British creatives are raising their voices in opposition to the government’s proposed amendments to copyright law. Among them are Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Ben Howard, who have joined forces with over 1,000 musicians to release a protest album titled Is This What We Want?.
As it stands, AI developers are subject to the same copyright regulations as everyone else, preventing them from using copyrighted works to train models without explicit consent. However, a proposal introduced in December 2024 seeks to change this by granting AI companies a copyright exemption—forcing creatives to opt out rather than requiring AI developers to obtain permission beforehand. The government’s consultation period on this proposal closes on Tuesday, February 25.
“The artists who contributed to this album did so as a form of protest,” states the official release. “The record features recordings of silent studios and empty performance venues, symbolizing the devastating consequences these legal changes could have on musicians’ ability to earn a living.”
This thought-provoking album consists of 12 tracks, with their titles collectively forming a stark message: The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies. All proceeds from the album will be donated to the UK-based charity Help Musicians.
Tuesday also saw a strong reaction from the UK News Media Association and major publications like The Guardian, which voiced their opposition to the copyright exemption through the Make It Fair campaign. “Tech companies, large and small, are scraping the creative works of British musicians, writers, journalists, illustrators, photographers, filmmakers, and songwriters to develop AI products that will shape our world,” the campaign asserts. “If creators are not fairly compensated, our cultural industries will not survive. The government must stand with its creative industries and ensure fair remuneration.”
Further intensifying the backlash, a coalition of prominent creatives published an open letter in The Times on Monday condemning the proposal. “There is neither a moral nor economic justification for stripping us of our copyright,” the letter declares. “Removing these protections would be catastrophic for the industry and rob future generations of creative opportunities.” Signatories include Paul McCartney, Elton John, Dua Lipa, Helen Fielding, and Ed Sheeran.