Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney on Sunday called on the British government to better “protect” artists against artificial intelligence (AI), at a time when the executive is considering copyright reform, saying he fears that musicians will are “stripped”.
Interviewed on the BBC, the 82-year-old star once again criticized the Labor government’s plan to introduce changes to copyright law.
Among them, “an exception to copyright” to introduce AI models for commercial purposes. At the same time, the project would offer creators the possibility of “reserving their rights”.
Paul McCartney argues that with such reform, artists will lose control over their production.
Concretely, he assures, “young people will write a beautiful song but they will not own it”. Pire, “anyone can make it their own”he denounces.
“The truth is the money will go somewhere. Someone will get paid so why shouldn’t it be the guy who wrote it? he argued.
And to add: “if you introduce a bill, make sure you protect thinkers and artists, otherwise you won’t have them on your side.”
-“We are the people, you are the government. You are supposed to protect us. It’s your job”, he said again.
The government said it would use its consultation, which runs until February 25, to explore the main points of the debate, including how creators will be able to license and be paid for the use of their material.
Asked about these projects during an interview on the BBC, the Minister of Finance, Rachel Reeves, assured “want to support artists” and do everything “so that copyright is respected”.
In November 2023, McCartney and Ringo Starr, the surviving members of the Beatles, used AI to extract John Lennon’s vocals from a decades-old unfinished song called “Now and Then.”
“I think AI is great and can do a lot of great things,” nuance Paul McCartney. However, he continues, she “must not rob creators. It doesn’t make any sense.”
