“We are not against progress”: Elton John, Dua Lipa, and 400 other artists call on UK to safeguard copyright from AI threats

More than 400 leading UK artists have signed an open letter urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to strengthen copyright protections in light of rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

These artists include Elton John, Dua Lipa, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Ian McKellen, Florence Welch, Robbie Williams, Coldplay, and others. John shared the letter on Instagram on May 10, 2025. He wrote,

“We, along with 400 other creatives, have signed and sent this letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to give Government support to proposals that would protect copyright in the age of AI. This comes ahead of a crunch vote on the plans in the House of Lords on Monday 12th May.”

He added,

“We thank Baroness Kidron for her support and hope that parliamentarians across the political spectrum will listen and vote to support the UK’s creative industries.”

The artists have called on the government to support an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, proposed by Baroness Beeban Kidron. This amendment would require AI developers to disclose when and how copyrighted works are used to train AI models, according to a report by BBC. So, what does the letter include? Here is a look at it.

Exploring the letter signed by Elton John and more than 400 celebrities to seek protection from AI

According to reports, Elton John and over 400 artists signed a letter demanding transparency and fair licensing for training AI models. They warned against “giving away” the work of the artists to tech firms. The letter read:

“Creative copyright is the lifeblood of the creative industries. It recognizes the moral authority we have over our work and provides an income stream for 2.4 million people across the four nations of the United Kingdom. The fight to defend our creative industries has been joined by scores of UK businesses, including those who use and develop AI.”

“We are not against progress or innovation. The creative industries have always been early adopters of technology. Indeed, many of the world’s greatest inventions, from the lightbulb to AI itself, have been a result of UK creative minds grappling with technology.”

The letter continued:

“The first job of any government is to protect its citizens. So, we urge his Majesty’s Government to accept the Lords Amendments in the name of Baroness Kidron that put transparency at the heart of the copyright regime…”

This campaign comes ahead of a key vote in the House of Lords on May 12, 2025, regarding an amendment to the data bill. However, some oppose the artists’ approach. According to a report by the BBC, Julia Willemyns, co-founder of the Centre for British Progress think tank, believes that such proposals could hamper the UK’s growth.

She said that the measures would;

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“do nothing to stop foreign firms from using content from the British creative industries. A restrictive copyright regime would offshore AI development, chill domestic innovation, and directly harm the UK economy.”

A report by Bloomberg stated that the UK government is planning to allow companies to train software on copyright-protected work without permission until the owner opts out.

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