The annual Winter Reception for the APWG was typically well attended by parliamentarians across both houses as well as industry guests as they gathered to celebrate the work of writers and our creative industries as well as launch the findings of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) AI survey along with SCOOP, a new initiative to remunerate freelance journalists in partnership with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), at the All Party Writers Group (APWG) winter reception in the House of Commons.
The survey of over 13,500 ALCS members showed that writers overwhelmingly support some form of remuneration, along with greater choice and transparency, when their works are used to train AI systems.
The event was hosted by the new Chair of the AWPG, Chris Evans MP, who paid tribute to the creative industries and the contribution they make to the UK’s economy and culture. Chris began by applauding the campaigning work of the APPG as well as ALCS before recognising and paying tribute to former Chair, Giles Watling. He continued by sharing his own experience as a writer, explaining the existential challenges authors face, the challenge to their intellectual property as well as the challenge of dwindling remuneration before reaffirming his commitment to provide a voice for writers in parliament through the work of the group.
We were grateful that the Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, was able to join us and speak of her ambitions for the committee to hold the government to account and address these fast moving issues particularly around the rapid growth of AI in the creative industries and what measures are being taken by the government to protect this vital sector to the UK by implementing multiple ‘focussed and narrower mini inquiries’ in the select committee.
Dame Caroline spoke of the result of the survey: “91% of respondents said they wanted to be asked for permission for AI to use their work, while 92% said that they would want to receive compensation for historic use of their works as well. Without those two things our great British writers won’t have the confidence that they are maintaining ownership over the fruits of their efforts, and at the end of the day people deserve to get paid for their work and their brilliance.”
Author Joanne Harris then spoke about the irreplaceable value of human creativity. She said: “Art is one of those things which is supposed to enrich our lives, not just by making money but by doing something that money can’t do. There are not many of those things left in the world, and imagination, storytelling and creation, those things are the things that machines should not and will not be allowed to take from us.”
The event also saw the launch of SCOOP, a new initiative to pay freelance journalists and photojournalists for the secondary online uses of their content, launched in a partnership between ALCS, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), DACS and PICSEL.
Natasha Hirst, President of the NUJ, said: “On average, freelance journalists earn below the national living wage. We do our work because we love it, but we also need to eat and put our heating on and do the things in life that people should be able to take for granted. But the exploitation of freelancers and the scourge of online copyright infringement isn’t new. It can never be acceptable for organisations to profit from the theft of creators’ work, and that is the bottom line for us.
SCOOP is desperately needed in order to provide the payment that freelancers deserve and the support that we need to sustain our careers. The mechanism will also support the training and development needs of freelancers, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.”
You can find out more about the ALCS survey on AI here.
You can learn more about the SCOOP initiative here.
You can read the new ALCS paper on ‘AI Regulation and Licensing’ here.
