Overview
- Government insiders expect no AI copyright bill in the May King’s Speech, with further decisions pushed back after mixed consultation feedback.
- The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee formally called for a licensing‑first regime and for dropping any text‑and‑data‑mining opt‑out for commercial AI training.
- Ministers are reported to be weighing a 'commercial research exception' that would let AI firms train on copyrighted works without permission during development, a move opposed by creators.
- An economic assessment and update on the consultation are slated for March 18, after January’s ministerial 'reset' that pledged to put artists’ reward and control at the center.
- The committee backs machine‑readable provenance tools such as watermarking, fingerprinting and C2PA to enable transparency and licensing, while major tech firms argue against prescriptive mandates.