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Elton John has accused the UK government of betraying artists with plans to allow Big Tech to train AI on creative works without permission or payment.
The 78-year-old music icon said the plans meant “committing theft, thievery on a high scale,” in an interview with the BBC on Sunday.
He was commenting on the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which would allow companies to train AI on works such as music and books, unless the copyright holder specifically opts out.
John said he was “very angry,” calling the government “absolute losers.”
He told the BBC that young artists “haven’t got the resources” to take on Big Tech and that the legislation would “rob young people of their legacy and their income.”
“It’s criminal, in that I feel incredibly betrayed,” he said.
The bill was passing through the country’s parliament until earlier this week, when the House of Lords voted to amend it to require tech companies to disclose and seek consent before scraping copyrighted material.
But the lower house, the House of Commons, rejected that change, sending the bill back into parliamentary limbo.
In his BBC interview, Sir Elton called on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “wise up,” saying he was prepared to take ministers to court and “fight it all the way.”
He was one of over 400 musicians, writers, and artists — including Paul McCartney — who signed an open letter to the Prime Minister earlier this year, warning that AI needed proper copyright safeguards to protect artists.
Sir Paul McCartney warned in January that AI could “rip off” artists and result in a “loss of creativity.”
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