From Takers to Makers: The UK's AI vision
Opportunities and challenges for creative industries. [#175]
This week, the UK government released its AI Opportunities Action Plan. Great to see they’re ready and on it, with some serious commitment to AI adoption in the UK.
It’s a big shift in tone from safety and disinformation to growth and productivity, to position us as a global leader in AI. To “be an AI maker, not an AI taker” so we can shape and benefit from it.
Congrats to Matt Clifford and the team for their work on the report – champagne corks must be popping 🍾 Government is taking forward all 50 recommendations. Read the full plan.
There’s quite a bit of detail beyond the soundbites and some good ideas like investing in ‘compute’ and having ‘AI sector champions’ in key industries, including the creative industries, to work with the government and drive AI adoption nationwide—public, private and academic collaboration.
I can see the bigger picture and potential to transform how we live, work & play, and it’s exciting to be part of it. But, there are still issues around GenAI, the creative industries, and copyright to sort out. The government needs to listen to other voices, not just follow Big Tech’s agenda.
Especially as they’ve just announced £60 million investment in the creative industries.
sums it up in this comment piece [The Guardian] with a call to reconsider the recommendation (#24) to reform UK copyright law in favour of AI companies.In essence, this means flipping copyright on its head so that every work in British creative history will become usable by AI companies unless its creators go through some as-yet-undefined process to say they’d rather that didn’t happen.
He goes on to explain why these ‘opt-outs’ are unfair and unworkable.
The NUJ has responded to the AI action plan here. The Ethics Council is hosting a free webinar on AI and Ethics on January 22 to hear more about the key ethical considerations of using AI in journalism. It’s open to all, but you need to register here.
I’ve also signed up for the UKAI members event on Creative Industries & AI on February 14, which is open to non-members (a waitlist).
Good to see Apple has suspended AI-generated news summaries following errors reported to readers. Not a good look for Big Tech, especially as these summaries are everywhere – at the top of Google searches and the bottom of trending tweets.
We’re in Rye today and popped into Haydens for a bite to eat (recommend it, eco guest house with fabulous food & views over Rye). I was chatting to Julieta about the AI action plan, and an older woman sitting behind us said:
I’m still struggling with ordinary intelligence, never mind artificial intelligence!
We’ve got to embrace it. It will get easier, the more we use it. Otherwise, you find you overstretch yourself and need some help.
Yeah, especially when you’re self-employed and doing it all. I agree, it’s our next industrial revolution.
Oh yes!
Is that Stevie Wonder? [on the radio]. Unmistakable voice. (starts singing along)
It was. Playing Signed, sealed, delivered. (I’m yours.)
A shoutout to
, who has gifted me two newsletter subscriptions this week: and by . Thank you muchly. I will enjoy them! 🤗Cheers,
Nika 🥂
🔗Reads + Recs
Turning Substack into a $60,000 a year business | Tim Stodz shares “the unconventional ways I turned my Substack into a $60K/year media company without turning my life upside down.” [Watch]
Your favorite newsletter’s favorite newsletters. A chain-letter love note to an expanding multiverse. 135 newsletters recommended by more than 50 writers in niche topics by Caitlin Dewey. [Read]
I also loved her visual essay on internet traffic patterns after the election. Good to mix up formats (we’ll see this again with Trump 2.0 and TikTok back on ;-).
Add a tip jar to your website. LaShonda Brown on getting started with the ‘Buy Me A Coffee’ tool and how to increase your tips by installing the widget on your site.
said it auto-tweets every time someone supports you, which is very cool. [Watch]