Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Exploring the evolving relationship between copyright and artificial intelligence in the UK, including the Government’s March 2026 Report, emerging legal reforms, and the practical implications for rightsholders, AI businesses, and commercial users.
The relationship between artificial intelligence and copyright raises much debate. AI models have been trained on vast quantities of content that belongs to someone, often without permission. Rights holders argue that their work is being used at scale to build commercial products without consent or compensation, which is damaging the UK creative industries. While in the other camp, AI developers argue that this emerging sector is vital for the UK economy and so a pro-innovation approach should be taken to avoid scaring away business.
In March 2026, the UK Government released its economic impact assessment and report under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, shedding some light on its approach going forward.
This series of articles examines that approach and its effect on stakeholders. Taken together, they are intended to provide a clear account of where the law stands in the UK at the time of writing, what that means in practice, and highlight practical steps to take, whether reading as a rights holder, AI business, or commercial customer.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss these topics further, please contact one of the below authors.
This article series was written by Jonathan Bywater (Commercial Solicitor/Legal Technologist), Sarah Webb (Partner and Head of IP) and Angus Wilson (the current Innovation Trainee).
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