THE “clock is ticking” to implement regulation that prevents tech bosses from exploiting creative workers, the TUC warns today.

The union federation is publishing an artificial intelligence (AI) manifesto for creative workers, ranging from artists, writers and journalists to teachers and academics, as the government consults on proposals for a copyright and AI framework.

The manifesto stresses the need to step up efforts to safeguard Britain’s £125 billion creative industries and ensure fair protections for creative workers, who are also found in sectors such as education, producing text, image, video and sound content.

The TUC wants transparency of AI training data, so workers know whether their data or image is being used, labels to differentiate AI work from human-created content and an opt-in system to protect creative work from commercial data mining.

The union body also calls for creative workers to be paid fairly if their work is used to train AI models, likeness rights to protect them from “deep fakes” and an independent regulator to oversee the integration of AI into society and work.

A new task force should also be established, the TUC suggests, bringing together creative workers, unions, technologists and government.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said that, if regulated properly, AI could yield productive gains benefiting workers. 

“But UK law is simply failing to keep pace with the rapid speed of technological change and proliferation of AI at work,” he warned.

“That’s why we are launching this new manifesto for AI and creative workers.

“Writers, actors,  performers, teachers, journalists and other creatives must have a say over how their work and image is used, and they must be paid fairly.”

Mr Nowak called on ministers to “change direction on current proposals and go further to protect creative workers and safeguard the future of the creative industries.

“The clock is ticking. Without proper guardrails put in place, rapacious tech bosses will continue to cash in on creatives’ work without their consent,” he said.

Urging Westminster to embrace the manifesto, Paul W Fleming, general secretary of performing arts union Equity, warned that the government’s proposals “undermine an entire industry” and threaten the efficacy of bargained solutions through “unquestioning support” of big tech.

Writers Guild of Great Britain chairwoman Emma Reeves cautioned: “Without stronger protections for writers, big tech could be allowed to take what they like, when they like, without any requirement to share the profits with writers or other creators.

“This will not only harm creators themselves but will likely deal a serious blow to the emerging AI market and harm the creative industries too.

“Alternatively, the voluntary licensing of work for AI training offers a potential for growth.”