Simon Cowell wants to see artists protected against AI.
The “America’s Got Talent” judge wrote commentary in The Daily Mail this week criticizing potential changes to U.K. law that would allow companies to use any online material to train AI models unless they explicitly opt out.
Cowell warned that the livelihood of artists was at risk of “being wiped out.”
“The thought that anyone would believe they have the right to blindly give this country’s creative ideas away – for nothing – is just wrong,” he said. “I passionately care about people’s personal creativity – and AI shouldn’t be able to steal the talent of those humans who created the magic in the first place.”
Simon Cowell warned in an op-ed in The Daily Mail that allowing AI to train on copyrighted material is a threat to artists’ livelihoods. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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In 2023, Cowell told Fox News Digital he was “not a fan” of AI.
He explained why artists like Queen, David Bowie and Elton John have a lasting, authentic impact by noting that “their songs, I think, are as good today as they were then. So, anything which is faking it is, for me, a bit of a problem.”
Elton John also contributed his opinion on AI to The Daily Mail.
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“I have been standing up on behalf of young artists because they literally represent our future. The proposal being considered by the UK Government would devastate our creative community, especially emerging artists and those who aspire to a career in the arts.”
“AI shouldn’t be able to steal the talent of those humans who created the magic in the first place.”
— Simon Cowell
He continued, “It would allow the taking of our music – and every other piece of art ever made in the UK – without authorization or compensation. And for what? To help powerful foreign technology companies make profits. That’s just wrong and it’s unnecessary.”
The “Tiny Dancer” singer acknowledged that generative AI “offers incredible opportunities for us all” but wanted to ensure protections for all creatives.
Elton John called proposed changes to U.K. laws to allow AI companies to train on copyrighted work “just wrong, and it’s unnecessary.” (Simone Joyner/Getty Images)
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“We must respect creators’ rights, deliver great experiences for fans and offer new and young artists even brighter opportunities. But adoption of this copyright exception would destroy the UK’s leadership that has been hard won, and what’s worse, it would give it all away. For nothing.”
Earlier this week, over 1,000 musicians teamed up to release a silent album titled “Is this What We Want?” in protest of the proposed changes to the laws.
With contributions from British artists including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens and Damon Albarn, the album consists of 12 tracks of recordings of empty studios and performance spaces “to symbolize what we expect will happen if the government’s proposals go through,” composer and AI developer Ed Newton-Rex told the Associated Press.
Annie Lennox, left, with Eurythmics bandmate Dave Stewart in 2022, is one of thousands of artists who contributed to a silent album in protest of the U.K. laws around AI and copyright changing. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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“It’s a mix of artists that everyone’s heard of and, you know, and many musicians who are not household names,” he added. “And I think that’s really important because this issue is going to affect all of us.”
