Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the proposed working group on independent and smaller creative organisations will consider measures to improve access to licensing and rights management mechanisms for visual artists, ceramicists, and other creators.

We are in the process of establishing the working group, and have reached out to prospective members including independent creatives, creative industries trade and member organisations, and individuals with expertise in law and licensing.

We are now confirming membership and aim to hold the first meeting this month, subject to participants’ availability.

The group will help us understand how creatives are experiencing the evolving AI licensing market, and whether there are appropriate mechanisms in place to ensure individual creators and right holders are appropriately represented in it.

This will sit alongside other workstreams we are progressing on AI and copyright including a consultation on digital replicas, a new taskforce to put forward proposals for government on best practice for labelling AI-generated content, and a review of the mechanisms available for creators to control their works online.