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Harnessing AI Innovation in the UK Production Sector

We strongly advocate the need for transparency mechanisms to be put in place quickly to allow rightsholders to understand how their content is being used, and have created a set of AI principles and guidance for the sector.

Campaign
Overview

Pact’s current campaign work on AI focuses on both the opportunities and risks of AI within the production sector particularly with the onset of generative AI. But foremost we want to work closely with the Government to ensure rightsholders are fairly renumerated for the use of their content to train models.

Generative AI presents the possibilities to create efficiencies and enhance the creative process. However, Pact also acknowledges that this technology comes with risks that need to be mitigated. 

Part of our mission is to help members grow their businesses, and to ensure that the economic, legislative and regulatory environment is working at its best for the sector. This forms a key part of how we will guide members to use and deliver generative AI responsibly at all stages of the production process.  

Pact respects and values human creativity within the production process. AI will never replace human creativity. It is clear we need to continue conversations about how best to mitigate the risks that AI can bring to the industry. We are already in dialogue with unions, guilds and commissioners about these risks.

We are a strong supporter of the UK Copyright Regime and consider that any AI regulatory framework must explicitly support the current Copyright Regime. We have been disappointed that the previous Government failed to broker a voluntary agreement between AI developers and rightsholders to decide how best to navigate the relationship between copyright and AI, particularly generative AI where the risk of infringing copyright is at its highest.

AI Campaign
Work to Date

Pact sits on the British Copyright Council to ensure a collective voice on copyright can be raised within Government on AI. We strongly advocate the need for transparency mechanisms to be put in place quickly to allow rightsholders to understand how their content is being used. Only then can rightsholders negotiate a licensing regime with AI developers that ensures rightsholders are fairly renumerated for the ingestion of their content.

To help our members navigate generative AI within the production process we have set up an AI Working Group with a range of members to help understand how best to utilise and plan for the new technology. We have also compiled AI guidance and set out key principles to help guide our members and the wider industry when they work with generative AI.

The key principles are:

  1. Respecting copyright
    Pact considers that copyright works should be protected from being used illegally in contravention of UK copyright law.

  2. Valuing Human Creativity
    Pact believes in the value of human creativity and artistic talent in the production process. This cannot be replaced by AI.

  3. Responsibility and Accountability
    Pact considers that there should be transparency over the use of generative AI tools within the production process. Pact members will continue to take responsibility for all content that they produce.

  4. Diversity & Inclusion
    Pact supports minimising and mitigating bias in AI models, and encourages members to use generative AI tools that have been developed to express diversity.

  5. Data Privacy
    Pact agrees that privacy must be protected and promoted throughout the AI lifecycle and production process.