UK Government Scraps AI Copyright Exception, But Industry Warns Uncertainty Remains

The UK government's 125-page report on AI and copyright has officially dropped its preferred option of a broad copyright exception for AI training. Publishers Association CEO Dan Conway called it 'a step in the right direction,' but warned that 'potentially damaging avenues have not been closed down.' Society of Authors Chief Executive Anna Ganley called it 'a hard-won moment' while urging faster government action. Ed Newton-Rex of Fairly Trained cautioned that 'some form of copyright exception is still very much a possibility,' noting the report failed to explicitly state that training AI on copyrighted works without a licence is illegal.