MP demands legislation on AI deepfakes

An MP has said legislation on artificial intelligence use in the UK music industry is needed to “help stave off the threats it poses”.

Kevin Brennan, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on music, spoke out as his organisation released a report that found most of the public want regulation to prevent deepfakes of artists such as Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift.

A poll of 2,110 British adults carried out by Whitestone Insight for UK Music revealed that 83% agree a music artist’s creative “personality” should be protected in law against being copied using AI.

Previously explicit fake photographs of Swift began circulating predominantly on social media site X, and the company formerly known as Twitter took a “zero-tolerance policy” by removing the content in January.

Mr Brennan, Labour MP for Cardiff West, said: “Our central insight must always be that AI can be a great servant but would be a terrible master.

“By leveraging the collective strength of policymakers, industry leaders and innovators we can ensure that AI serves as a catalyst for creativity, and progress in the music ecosystem, rather than an inhibitor of growth and a destroyer of creators’ livelihoods.”

The shadow minister for victims and sentencing also said the “UK must grasp the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of music if it is to retain its role as a powerhouse in exporting music and nurturing world-class talent”.

UK Music interim chief executive Tom Kiehl said the government needs to act and added: “The public also voiced their concerns about the alarming growth of explicit deepfake images of music stars like Dua Lipa and the need for urgent action in this area.

“The threat to the music industry from generative AI is now very real and the government must move to legislate to support our world-leading music industry.”

Recommendations from the APPG include the government introducing a UK AI Act, generated music being clearly labelled and the creation of a personality right to protect creators and artists from deepfakes and setting up an international taskforce.

The Department of Media, Culture and Sport has been contacted for comment.

ARTIFICIAL: A 3D illustration of an AI humanoid robot playing piano with sheet music.