Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that existing copyright law is (a) upheld and (b) enforced in relation to the scraping and use of creative content by generative artificial intelligence developers without permission or payment.

Copying protected material in the UK infringes copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies.

Rights holders are supported to enforce their rights by initiatives such as the streamlined procedures of the UK’s Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC).

The Government consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including the use of copyright material in AI development.

The Government will review the responses to its consultation carefully as it considers its next steps. The Government continues to engage extensively on this issue and will set our response in due course.