Elton John brands Labour ‘absolute losers’ in furious BBC tirade over ‘criminal’ copyright plans
SIR Elton John today blasted Labour ministers as “absolute losers” and said he feels “betrayed” by plans to shake-up AI copyright rules.
The music legend hit out after the government rejected a push to give artists, writers and musicians more control over how their work is used by Silicon Valley giants to train algorithms.
Peers in the House of Lords backed changes to a proposed new law to make sure creators give permission before their content is fed into AI platforms – and can see what’s been used, when and by who.
But MPs ignored the call and voted it down by 297 to 168.
The government says the changes go too far and that it won’t make “piecemeal” decisions while still consulting on the issue.
But Sir Elton hit back accusing Technology Secretary Peter Kyle of being “a bit of a moron” and selling creatives down the river.
Speaking to the BBC, he raged: “It’s criminal, in that I feel incredibly betrayed.”
He said: “The House of Lords did a vote, and it was more than two to one in our favour, the Government just looked at it as if to say, ‘hmmm, well the old people… like me can afford it.’”
The superstar warned the plan could “rob young people of their legacy and their income, it’s a criminal offence, I think.”
He added: “The Government are just being absolute losers, and I’m very angry about it.”
Sir Elton also revealed he’s ready to drag ministers through the courts, saying: “We’ll fight it all the way.”
The row centres on fears that AI tools are scraping artists’ work without permission – and leaving them with nothing.
Hundreds of creatives have joined the Rocket Man in demanding stronger copyright protections.
But the Government insists the Data Bill is about “unlocking the secure and effective use of data” to boost the economy by £10 billion.
A spokesman for the Department for Science and Technology said: “The Data (Use and Access) Bill is focused on unlocking the secure and effective use of data for the public interest – boosting the economy by an estimated £10 billion over the course of the next 10 years to help deliver the growth which is fundamental to the government’s plan for change.
“We want our creative industries and AI companies to flourish, which is why we have been separately consulting on a package of measures that we hope will work for both sectors.
“We have always been clear that we will not rush into any decisions or bring forward any legislation until we are confident that we have a practical plan which delivers on each of our objectives.”
This comes after the threat of robots stealing musicians’ work has prompted more than 1,000 famous artists to join forces in protest with a “silent album”.
Fears are growing over the government’s plans to change UK copyright law for AI.
It would mean artificial intelligence companies could use any online material including music, art, articles and photography to train AI models.
The concern is a bot can then use algorithms to churn out its versions with no human creativity.
Stars including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Blur’s Damon Albarn have produced the protest album, titled Is This What We Want?
The 47 minutes of sparse background sounds are designed to show what life would be without musicians.
Organiser Ed Newton-Rex said: “The government’s proposal would hand the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians’ work to outcompete them.
“It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary: the UK can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus.”
Dr Jo Twist, head of industry group the BPI, said it would be legal for AI firms “to plunder the UK’s music, books, film and more, all for their own profit and without the need for authorisation or compensation”.
British music contributed £7.6 billion to the economy in 2023, but the industry warns that the changes to copyright laws would diminish this boost, risk jobs and undermine Britain’s “global soft-power advantage”.
AI giants should not be handed ‘free rein’ to rip off British creatives, top industry bosses warn
By Martina Bet
ARTIFICIAL intelligence firms should not be handed “free rein” to rip off British creative work, top industry bosses warn.
Media leaders say the plans would hamper fair licensing and create chaos in the £125billion creative sector.
The government plans to change copyright laws to allow tech firms to train their AI bots by giving them free access to films, TV, radio shows and journalism — unless creators actively opt out.
In a letter to Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, leaders slammed claims the UK would fall behind on AI if there are restrictions.
It was signed by MPs and bosses from NewsUK, The Guardian, Warner Music and Channel 4,
They said: “Very few countries have given free rein for AI developers to use copyright works without permission.”
They argued the government’s approach could put “the growth of the creative industries at risk” and that deals are already emerging, without government interference.
Stars including Sir Elton John, Simon Cowell, Sir Paul McCartney, and every major UK newspaper have urged the government to stop its copyright rules change bid.
They said the focus should be on transparency, not on rewriting copyright laws, arguing: “Transparency is key to assisting those licensing discussions.”
Creatives warned against making the UK an easy target for AI firms looking to exploit copyrighted material.
What albums has Sir Elton John released?
How many records has Elton released across his career?
Empty Sky – 1969
Elton John – 1970
Tumbleweed Connection – 1970
Madman Across the Water – 1971
Honky Château – 1972
Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player – 1973
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – 1973
Caribou – 1974
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy – 1975
Rock of the Westies – 1975
Blue Moves – 1976
A Single Man – 1978
Victim of Love – 1979
21 at 33 – 1980
The Fox – 1981
Jump Up! – 1982
Too Low for Zero – 1983
Breaking Hearts – 1984
Ice on Fire – 1985
Leather Jackets – 1986
Reg Strikes Back – 1988
Sleeping with the Past – 1989
The One – 1992
Made in England – 1995
The Big Picture – 1997
Songs from the West Coast – 2001
Peachtree Road – 2004
The Captain & the Kid – 2006
The Diving Board – 2013
Wonderful Crazy Night – 2016
Regimental Sgt. Zippo – 2021