LONDON – June 13, 2025: A controversial UK data bill that sparked a rare and public clash between the government and some of Britain’s most celebrated artists has officially passed Parliament without a proposed amendment aimed at protecting copyrighted content from being exploited by artificial intelligence (AI).
The Data (Use and Access) Bill, which includes a range of reforms to improve public service data usage, became the centre of a month-long legislative battle after members of the House of Lords insisted on inserting an amendment that would have required technology companies to declare when they use copyrighted materials to train AI systems.
Opponents of the government’s stance included music legends Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, alongside chart-topper Dua Lipa, who joined a broader coalition of artists and creatives warning that the unchecked use of their work by AI developers could ultimately displace human talent and devalue the UK’s £124 billion creative industry.
“This is thievery on a high scale,” Sir Elton John told the BBC, accusing tech firms of taking without paying. “We’re not against AI. But there must be respect for the people who create culture.”
However, the government rejected the amendment, citing an ongoing consultation on copyright and a planned dedicated AI bill. Ministers argued that implementing the Lords’ proposal could stifle innovation and deter AI investment in the UK, allowing other countries to overtake Britain in a highly competitive and rapidly growing sector.
As a result, the bill entered a protracted “ping-pong” phase, bouncing between the Commons and the Lords multiple times. Eventually, the Lords relented, allowing the legislation to proceed without the amendment. It now awaits royal assent to become law.
“We can only do so much here. I believe we’ve done it,” said composer and broadcaster Lord Berkeley. “It’s up to the government and the other place now to listen.”
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) welcomed the bill’s passage, highlighting its broader benefits beyond the AI copyright debate.
“This bill is about using data to grow the economy and improve people’s lives,” a DSIT spokesperson said. “From health to infrastructure, we can now get on with the job.”
Key provisions in the legislation include new rights for bereaved parents to access their deceased children’s data, streamlined data-sharing between NHS trusts, and the creation of a 3D digital map of the UK’s underground infrastructure to reduce disruption during roadworks.
DSIT said the bill would save public sector workers over a million hours of administrative work and help combat online harms, such as deepfake abuse, through new criminal offences.
Despite the bill’s passage, opponents vowed to continue pressing the government. Baroness Beeban Kidron, a filmmaker who led the Lords’ amendment push, called it “a pyrrhic victory” for ministers, warning that UK cultural assets were being handed to predominantly U.S.-based AI firms.
“The battle may be over, but the war is far from won,” said Owen Meredith, CEO of the News Media Association. “Our creative workforce will continue to fight for the enforcement of world-renowned copyright laws.”
Baroness Dido Harding echoed the sentiment, declaring in the Lords: “We will prevail in the end.”
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