Labour is ‘pandering’ to global tech giants while ignoring the concerns of UK creative industries, critics have claimed.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle reportedly had almost 20 meetings with tech companies, lobby groups and investors between July and September last year.
The minister, who is in charge of Britain’s strategy for AI, had four meetings with Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, while he met Apple, Nvidia and Corewave twice, according to The Daily Telegraph. It added that Mr Kyle had no meetings with companies from the creative industries in this period.
It comes amid controversy over government plans to allow big tech companies to ignore traditional copyright rules when training AI systems.
Instead creative organisations will be forced to opt out if they do not want their work to be exploited by such firms.
Sources in the creative sector claimed despite numerous requests by the industry to meet Mr Kyle, they have had only a few meetings with junior ministers.
The meetings between July and September predate the Government’s December announcement.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairman of the culture, media and sports committee, said: ‘The creative industries are extremely worried that he [Kyle] is only seeing one side of the picture.
‘Our creative industries are worth around £135billion to our economy. They aren’t Luddites, they are frequently trailblazing in technology and AI, so it’s madness not to be listening to their views.’
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Foster said: ‘It’s a mistake to not be talking to the real concerns in the creative industries and pandering to the big boys in Silicon Valley.’
Labour suffered its first parliamentary defeat recently when peers backed reforms to stop the big tech firms ignoring copyright rules when training AI systems.
A creative sector source said: ‘The Government must abandon its current approach of pandering to powerful US AI companies and instead prioritise the needs of the UK creative sectors.’
A government spokesman said: ‘We reject this assertion. Just last month, our Creative Industries Growth Summit saw 250 businesses join the Culture Secretary to discuss how we will work together to increase growth and investment.’