ALCS welcomes report on large language models
The report was published today by the Lords Communications and Digital Committee as part of their inquiry into large language models and generative artificial intelligence, which ALCS has contributed to.
We’re encouraged that the committee, chaired by Baroness Stowell of Beeston, called on the Government to ‘support copyright’, stating that ‘the point of copyright is to reward creators for their efforts, prevent others from using works without permission, and incentivise innovation’.
The report also recommended that the Government ‘empower rightsholders to check if their data has been used without permission; and invest in large, high-quality training datasets to encourage tech firms to use licenced material’.
The report stated “we do not believe it is fair for tech firms to use rightsholder data for commercial purposes without permission or compensation, and to gain vast financial rewards in the process”.
ALCS CEO Barbara Hayes said:
“We welcome this report from the Lords committee on AI and their stance on copyright and creators, and we echo their sentiments that the current situation is profoundly unfair to rightsholders. ALCS stands for the principle of fair payment for use, and that creators should be offered a choice in terms of what happens to their works. It is encouraging to see those ideals echoed by this report, and hope that the Government duly take note when addressing their next steps”.
You can learn more about our campaign work on AI and copyright here.
