Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI assistants and answer engines on traffic and revenue received by public-interest news publishers; and whether her Department is considering requirements relating to source attribution and links to original reporting.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
We recognise the impact on public interest news publishers of generative AI platforms and services, including AI assistants and answer engines, which risk diverting audiences and advertising revenue by presenting news summaries which limit the need to click through to news websites.
As set out in our Local Media Action Plan, published in March, these summaries can also be inaccurate or misleading, with one recent study finding that 81% of news-related responses from AI assistants contained issues relating to accuracy, editorialisation, sourcing errors or limited contextualisation. These summaries also risk distorting the market by drawing on a narrow range of prominent newsbrands. Over the long term, this risks further commercial harm to local media and other news providers, to public trust in news as a whole, and to the quality of news accessed by citizens.
The Action Plan committed to helping news providers adapt to the emerging challenges of AI-generated news summaries, and supporting a healthy licensing ecosystem while also working with industry to ensure proportionate transparency. We want to support all rights holders, including news publishers, to be able to license their work in the digital age, while allowing AI developers to benefit from access to creative material in the UK. Our taskforce on AI labelling will put forward proposals for Government on best practice to ensure consumers understand whether content has been made using AI. Alongside this, we will also publish a review of the mechanisms available for creators to control their works online. This will include standards, technical solutions and best practice on input transparency. This review will inform where there are gaps and whether there is an appropriate role for government in addressing them.
This builds on other work already underway in this area. The CMA recently imposed the first Conduct Requirement under the Digital Markets regime on publisher controls in Google Search and search advertising, aiming to ensure transparency, attribution and choice for publishers in how their content is used in Google’s AI services. We also welcome the news industry’s proactive efforts to address concerns in this area, including through the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (SPUR) coalition, which is focused on bridging the gap between news publishers and AI developers and developing shared industry standards. SPUR has recently published a draft of a Content Telemetry standard, an open standard which enables publishers and content owners to directly understand how AI systems are using their content.
Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions the Department has had with arena and stadium operators on increasing participation in the voluntary levy to support grassroots music venues.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has been clear that arenas and stadiums have a vital role to play to accelerate adoption of the £1 ticket contribution to support grassroots music. The Government has convened the live music industry, including arena and stadium operators and their representative bodies, to drive further uptake of the voluntary levy and to understand remaining challenges and opportunities. As set out in our Music Plan, published on 13 July, we support the industry's leadership on this so far, with the LIVE Trust already having distributed £1.5 million to vital initiatives. However, we want to see uptake increase further, and we have consistently said that we are prepared to explore legislative options if required.
Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that freelancers and small creative businesses can access practical guidance on the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is working with Sally Davies, AI Champion of the Creative Industries, and others to consider how best to support AI adoption. Sally has been engaging closely with the sector to inform her AI Adoption Plan for the Creative Industries, which was published in June.
Sally’s recommendations are not formally part of government policy, however we will carefully consider next steps in order to allow our creative industries to best seize the opportunities for innovation and growth presented by AI. This includes recommendations to raise the practical AI knowledge and confidence and develop trusted guidance, standards and tools for AI adoption.
We aim to help creative businesses, especially SMEs and the self-employed, build the skills and confidence to use AI safely and effectively. The government joins the AI Champion in supporting an augmentation-first approach to AI Adoption in the creative industries. AI should support human creativity, not displace it.
We are committed to working with Sally and the sector to increase accessibility to industry-backed knowledge, infrastructure and support, so as to empower creatives to make an informed decision on whether they’ll use AI or not.
Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support film and television production in Glasgow.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to growing the UK screen sector across all nations. Glasgow, identified as a high-potential creative cluster in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, is well placed to benefit from the Government's £75 million Screen Growth Package.
This includes the UK Global Screen Fund, with Scottish-led co-productions securing significant awards and Screen Scotland contributing to the Fund's Advisory Board. The British Film Institute also supports Scotland's screen sector through UK-wide funding, including the National Lottery Skills Cluster, which helps address skills and crew shortages.
We are also investing in skills through the National Film and Television School, including its Glasgow hub at BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay and the Edinburgh-based Sean Connery Talent Lab. This complements our refreshed £9 million Creative Careers Programme, which was piloted in Scotland.
We continue to work with Screen Scotland and the wider sector to strengthen screen production across Scotland and the UK, supported by stable and competitive tax reliefs that benefit all nations. The BBC Charter Review also provides an opportunity to support the BBC's central role in Scotland's screen economy.
Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that hosting UEFA EURO 2028 supports communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Football reaches communities like nothing else. The department is working with partners to develop the largest-ever UEFA EURO Community Programme, backed by a social impact fund of around £45 million, which will ensure the impact supports communities far beyond the tournament itself. Plans for the programme and fund are in development, and more details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to mark the retirement of Sir Andy Murray.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
I am delighted to take this opportunity to wish Sir Andy well in his retirement. He has contributed a huge amount to British sport throughout his long career, both on and off the court.
We know how important access to facilities is as part of the legacy of our sporting heroes, so people can try the sports they see on screen. The Government has committed to continue to support grassroots facilities across the UK.