Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan

[cstross@wandering.shop]

Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan

Liz Kendall faces pressure from campaigners as she tells parliament there is no clear consensus on issue

Kendall is lying: 88% of the public in consultation exercise wanted *stronger* copyright law, and 95% want AI companies to pay for training data.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/16/boost-for-artists-in-ai-copyright-battle-as-only-3-per-cent-back-uk-active-opt-out-plan

[cstross@wandering.shop]

Footnote: I participated in that consultation and it was a glaringly obvious push-poll intended to generate public consent for Kendall's scheme to hand the entire British creative sector over to Sam Altman and his cronies on a plate.

Looking at this result it's apparent that the public had a nearly unanimous "HELL no!" reaction (as did I). US-style push polling is a great way to generate push-back in the UK.

[http_error_418@hachyderm.io]

@cstross "there is no clear consensus on the issue" 88% of people telling her to fuck off sounds like a pretty clear consensus to me

[murphyslawyer@mstdn.social]

@http_error_418 @cstross I’m just waiting for someone to say/post: “this was only a poll replied to by a minority”. To which the only appropriate answer will be “Brexit”.

[cubeexplorer@mastodon.social]

@cstross this organisation is behind the "Make It Fair" campaign: https://www.creativerightsinai.co.uk

[cstross@wandering.shop]

@murphyslawyer @http_error_418 I mean, it's kind of fascinating how a 52/48 vote was a firm mandate for change in 2016, but in 2025 a 95/3 vote is "unclear", right?

[lightfiar@med-mastodon.com]

@cstross She's not lying! It's just cuz you don't understand it's spelled CON$EN$U$, monetary units notwithstanding!
/s

[fragarach@social.vivaldi.net]

@cstross

Hmm.
In the past, our union was asked by the then government for views on their proposals around something. 85% said no, and in the press, "The proposals were implemented following consultation" when they went ahead and did it.
As part of a committee many years back, during the National Programme for IT (remember that?), we had a very senior consultant at a meeting, and one of the irritating sub issues came up. We mentioned to him that it had been implemented because, according to the Department of Health, he'd signed off his approval. "No, I didn't" he responded, "They asked me about it at one meeting, and I said it was a bad idea".

So I'm pretty confident that "No clear consensus" means they're going to do it anyway.

[jhooper@techhub.social]

@cstross LLM companies have inspired me to start a business where I rob banks, and then weaken punishments for robbing.