The UK government has suffered a second defeat in the House of Lords over its Data (Use and Access) Bill, as peers once again backed a copyright-focused amendment aimed at protecting artists from AI content scraping.
Baroness Kidron, a filmmaker and digital rights advocate, led the charge, accusing ministers of listening to the ‘sweet whisperings of Silicon Valley’ and allowing tech firms to ‘redefine theft’ by exploiting copyrighted material without permission.
Her amendment would force AI companies to disclose their training data sources and obtain consent from rights holders.
The government had previously rejected this amendment, arguing it would lead to ‘piecemeal’ legislation and pre-empt ongoing consultations.
But Kidron’s position was strongly supported across party lines, with peers calling the current AI practices ‘burglary’ and warning of catastrophic damage to the UK’s creative sector.
High-profile artists like Sir Elton John, Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, and Kate Bush have condemned the government’s stance, with Sir Elton branding ministers ‘losers’ and accusing them of enabling theft.
Peers from Labour, the Lib Dems, the Conservatives, and the crossbenches united to defend UK copyright law, calling the government’s actions a betrayal of the country’s leadership in intellectual property rights.
Labour’s Lord Brennan warned against a ‘double standard’ for AI firms, while Lord Berkeley insisted immediate action was needed to prevent long-term harm.
Technology Minister Baroness Jones countered that no country has resolved the AI-copyright dilemma and warned that the amendment would only create more regulatory confusion.
Nonetheless, peers voted overwhelmingly in favour of Kidron’s proposal—287 to 118—sending the bill back to the Commons with a strengthened demand for transparency and copyright safeguards.
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