- Just 3% of respondents support the UK government’s preferred copyright plan for AI training.
- More than 88% want AI developers to get explicit permission before using copyrighted work
- Creators across the UK are vigorously opposing opt-out schemes which they say infringe on their rights.
When the UK government launched a public consultation on AI and copyright in early 2025, it probably didn’t expect near-unanimous criticism. But of the nearly 10,000 responses submitted via its official “Citizen Space” platform, only 3% support the government’s preferred policy to regulate how AI uses copyrighted material for training purposes. A strong 88% of respondents supported a stricter approach focused on rights holders.
The survey asked for views on four possible routes the UK could take to set out the rules that should apply when AI developers train their models on books, songs, artwork and other copyrighted works. The government’s preferred route was option 3 and offered a compromise whereby AI developers had the default right to use copyrighted material provided they disclosed what they were using, and provided a way for those who owned the rights to the material to opt out. But most of those who responded disagreed.
Option 3 received the least support. Even the “do nothing” option, of leaving the law vague and inconsistent, was better questioned. More and more people would prefer not to make any reforms rather than accept the government’s suggestion. This level of disapproval is difficult to express.
It’s a triumph for the campaign led by writers unions, music industry groups, visual artists and game developers who are seeking exactly this outcome. They have spent months warning of a future where creative work becomes free fuel for unlicensed AI engines.
The artists argued that the fight was as much about consent as it was about royalties. They argued that having creative work put into a training dataset without permission means the damage is done, even if you can opt out months later. And they pointed out that UK copyright laws were not designed for AI. In the UK, copyright is automatic and unregistered, which is great for flexibility, but difficult to enforce, as there is no central database of copyright ownership.
AI Protections
Officials developed Option 3 to try to appease all parties. The government’s stated goal was to drive AI innovation while respecting creators. A transparent opt-out mechanism would allow developers to create useful templates while giving artists the opportunity to opt out. But ultimately, many creators felt like the entire burden was on them and that they would have to constantly monitor how their work is used, sometimes across borders, languages, and platforms they’d never heard of.
This is likely why 88% of respondents chose requiring licenses for everything as their preferred choice. If an AI model were to be implemented that wanted to train on your book, your voice, your illustration, or your photography, it would have to ask, and potentially pay, first.
A final report and economic impact assessment from the government is expected in March. It will assess the legal, commercial and cultural implications of each option. Officials say they will consider feedback from creators, tech companies, small businesses and other stakeholders. Clearly, the government’s hope of smoothly beginning to implement its preferred approach will not be realised.
For now, the confusing status quo remains. Without a court decision or legislative solution, uncertainty reigns. AI developers don’t know what’s allowed. Creators don’t know what is protected. Everyone is waiting for clarification, but it continues to take time.
What happens next could shape the UK’s digital economy for years. If officials side with the 3% who supported their original project, they risk alienating the very creators whose work is so valuable. But stricter licensing rules would undoubtedly face resistance from AI startups and international technology companies. Either way, the fighting is far from over.
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