MPs vote to continue parliamentary ping-pong over AI ‘theft’ crackdown

MPs have voted to continue a stand-off with the Lords over how to stop “theft”, when AI models learn from creatives’ content.

Conservative shadow science minister Dr Ben Spencer, who described himself as a “Bill Murray fan”, called on the Government to “bring an end to this Groundhog Day”.

Peers agreed on Monday to amend the Government’s Data (Use and Access) Bill.

Their proposal would force the Government to prepare fresh legislation which would open up AI model databases, so that copyright owners could see whether their works have been used as “data inputs”.

But MPs voted 317 to 185, majority 132, on Tuesday to reject the amendment and continue the battle at Westminster, known as parliamentary ping-pong.

Rocket Man singer Sir Elton John is among the stars who have urged the Government to strengthen copyright protections, when he said last month that ministers are “absolute losers” and that he felt “incredibly betrayed”.

Dr Spencer told the Commons: “Copyright law is a toothless instrument if the lack of transparency about the use of create content in AI models continues.

“The lack of transparency renders rights enforcement elusive, and the Government is apparently happy for this to persist on an open-ended basis.”

At the despatch box, he added: “Creatives continue to lose out when their work is exploited without payment, the AI industry, especially smaller firms, can’t get out of the starting blocks let alone play their part in turbocharging our tech economy, and the Government continues to risk the confidence of both key industries with the chilling effect on investment that this entails.”

On the stand-off, Dr Spencer told the Commons: “We’re stuck in Groundhog Day in this Bill until the Government realises that the Lords’ amendments are not a nuisance but an opportunity, and that they need to listen to the concerns and change course.”

Conservative former minister Sir Julian Smith later said: “There is no time commitment from the Government benches whatsoever on bringing back a Bill to this House to address the current theft of property that is raining down on the UK creative industries.”

Technology minister Sir Chris Bryant had earlier spoken against the amendment, which was put forward by Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason director Baroness Kidron.

“One could argue that introducing a draft Bill which would then be considered in various different places, followed presumably by a Bill, would actually delay things rather than speed things up,” Sir Chris told the Commons.

He said that he “cannot think of any Bill in our history that has included such a clause”, to compel the Government to bring forward new draft legislation within three months of the publication of a report into the use of copyrighted works in the development of AI systems.

Sir Chris told MPs: “A central plank of parliamentary sovereignty is no parliament can bind its successor.

“That doesn’t just mean from one parliament to another, but it means one session can’t bind a future session.”

Commons culture, media and sport committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport, accused Sir Chris of “dancing on the head of a pin” and added: “The fact is that all legislation somehow binds those that are coming down the track.”

The Bill will now return to the House of Lords.