A report claiming to be one of the “most comprehensive studies” of the impression generative artificial intelligence (AI) could have on creative work suggests one in three such jobs have already been lost to the technology.

According to Baroness Beeban Kidron, whose introduction leads the findings, “the UK government is presiding over one of the greatest acts of theft in modern history: the stripping of the UK’s creative industries of their rights, livelihoods, and control over their work.”

Organised by major sector players including the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), actors’ union Equity, and the Society of Authors (SOA), the report finds that the country “stands on the brink of losing an entire sector” unless the government urgently establishes legislation to protect creative livelihoods and a “global standard” for ethical AI use.

“The findings in this report are not only an indictment of policy failure; they are a call to action,” writes filmmaker and crossbench peer, Kidron.

“Creators must not accept a managed decline. They must organise, speak out – and use this report to engage government, the media, and their fellow creators — to demand justice. It is time for creators to get creative.”

Scuppered commissions and cloned creators

The report reveals artists and creatives are already experiencing a loss of work. Surveys run by those to back the report, engaging thousands of authors, illustrators, photographers, musicians, performers, and voice and audio artists, reveal that 58% of photographers surveyed reported losing projects or seeing them cancelled as a result of AI.

A third of illustrators said the same, while 73% of musicians surveyed said “unregulated AI” was “threatening their ability to earn a living”.

Among authors, 88% expressed concern generative AI could imitate their voice or style, while 83% of voice artists reported witnessing cloned voices and AI-generated avatars circulating online.

Researchers estimate that the value of lost commissions reported to them by musicians and performers came to more than £10,000 in vanished earnings.

One illustrator told researchers: “‘I feel a huge sense of dread knowing AI generators are everywhere. It’s wrecked my morale as a new graduate trying to start out.”

Another, a musician discussing the impact on those used to making money with commissions for jingles or original scores, said: “‘The advertising and TV industry
is in freefall with unscrupulous producers looking to cut costs… This is becoming a huge issue in the industry.”

One creative referenced within the report is Scottish actor Briony Monroe, who believes her likeness was used in the process to develop AI-generated virtual performer Tilly Norwood.

Norwood’s existence inspired ire within the acting and wider creative community last year. Monroe is pursuing the matter with support from Equity, with the report noting: “The case illustrates ongoing challenges regarding transparency in AI-generated characters and the difficulties creative professionals face in protecting their likeness from unauthorised use.”

‘This is not special pleading’

In her foreword to Brave New World: Justice for Creators in the Age of AI, Baroness Kidron writes: “There is no special pleading here, nor any blindness to the opportunities inherent in AI.

“What is being taken, in plain sight, is the private property of UK citizens, protected by UK law. It is not the government’s to give away. To do so is an injustice.”

The report demands the implementation of the ‘CLEAR’ framework, which calls for consent to the use of creative material; licensing; ethical use of training data; accountability; and the prioritisation of remuneration and rights.

Anna Ganley, chief executive of the SOA, said: “Generative AI and machine learning has turbo-charged plagiarism on a global scale.

“We urgently need government intervention to enforce UK copyright law, protect our data, and demonstrate its support for original human creativity and the UK’s £126 billion creative industries. It’s time for CLEAR action, not more words.”

“There is still time for the government to change course,” added Deborah Annetts, of the ISM.

Reactions What do you think?