Labour landslide: put 'profound challenges' of AI and intellectual property rights high up on agenda, author bodies urge new government

Author bodies have urged the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to put the “existential threats” to publishing back on the agenda in pursuit of a “fairer deal” for authors amid the “profound challenges” posed by Artificial Intelligence and poor pay.

Labour achieved a landslide win in yesterday’s general election, with Sir Keir Starmer due to enter Number 10 Downing Street for his first term in office.

The Society of Authors’ chief executive Anna Ganley heralded the new era, but urged the new government to “to waste no time in getting these issues back on the agenda”.

Ganley said: “We are keen to resume the important work of securing government support for a fairer deal for authors, and look forward to working with the new ministers and their teams."

Ganley explained that in the run up to the election, the SoA had been “in discussions with government on the existential threats to authors’ work and livelihoods – including the unregulated development of generative AI systems and the legal misuse of litigation by wealthy individuals and corporations against journalists, writers and other critics".

She added: “These issues cannot be properly addressed without legislation. At a time when author incomes are lower than ever, it is vital that the government offers greater support to freelancers and reviews how it can increase funding for the arts and literature to nurture a better economic landscape for all creative professionals."

Barbara Hayes, c.e.o. of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) also raised the issues of AI, copyright and fair pay.

She said: “ALCS welcomes the incoming government as a fresh opportunity to address urgent issues affecting creatives across the UK. We look forward to working together to achieve fair remuneration, strong copyright and licensing, and liveable wages for writers.

“As creatives across the UK worry about their future amid stagnating pay and the impact of AI, we hope to work closely with the new government to find solutions to these profound challenges.”

Hayes also pointed out that freelancers make up a significant portion of the workforce at over twice the national average of 15%, saying “they face a number of unique challenges relating to pay, rights and working conditions”.

She urged the Labour government to appoint a Freelancer Commissioner “to champion freelancers across all industries".

Hayes added: “We hope the new Labour government will recognise the need for greater representation for freelancers, fair remuneration for AI uses, and for a private copying scheme to match other systems around the world."

Her comments echoed wider industry comments on AI and intellectual property rights. She said these rights are at risk due to issues like the misuse of AI and news scraping in digital platforms.

Meanwhile, Dan Conway, c.e.o of the Publishers Association, said he was “optimistic” that the political party recognises “the importance of the UK’s creative industries”.