Artists must be protected from piracy in the new world of AI | Letter

Artists, illustrators and photographers have often led the way in embracing new technology. The concerns that creators such as Harry Woodgate have about AI programs (‘It’s the opposite of art’: why illustrators are furious about AI, 23 January) that “rely entirely on the pirated intellectual property of countless working artists, photographers, illustrators and other rights holders” must be heeded.

Evidence published recently by the House of Lords, gathered from the first-hand experience of visual artists, galleries and experts, demonstrates that the government’s proposed copyright exception will have far-reaching, detrimental consequences.

The UK’s £116bn cultural and creative industries have an opportunity to be world leaders in developing and sustaining talent in emerging technologies, but the government must ensure that artists’ rights are protected. We must recognise the critical importance of strong copyright law and fair remuneration, not just to protect individual artists, but to safeguard the UK’s cultural and creative industries as a whole.

Christian Zimmermann

CEO, Design and Artists Copyright Society