Sir Elton John and Simon Cowell call for creative talent to be protected from AI

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Sir Elton described the UK’s creative sector as the “envy of the world” but said the plan risked giving away that position. “We only achieved that success with the backing of our long-standing copyright protection – the world’s gold standard,” he told the Daily Mail, saying creative industries create jobs and economic growth. “Anyone who is able to create something they passionately care about deserves to have their work protected.” Among other artists supporting the Mail’s campaign are singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, Bafta-winning composer Nick Foster and author Kate Mosse, who said she supported the “possibilities” of AI, but ensuring tech companies pay for artists’ work was “a matter of principle, of fairness”. In December, Sir Keir Starmer told the Liaison Committee described the UK’s creative industries as “really important” and said the Government was consulting on its proposals.