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UK Government Delays AI Training Copyright Rule Changes After Consultation Fails to Reach Consensus

Canopy Policy

The UK government is planning to delay proposed changes to copyright law that would have allowed AI companies to train models on copyrighted content without a licence, after a two-month public consultation failed to produce a favored proposal among stakeholders, the Financial Times reports. The consultation triggered significant backlash from the UK's creative industries — including publishers, musicians, and visual artists — who objected to any opt-out mechanism that would permit AI training on their works. With no consensus reached, the government is returning to the drawing board on a rule change that would have significant implications for AI developers operating in the UK.

Key Takeaways

  • UK government going "back to drawing board" on AI training copyright rule changes after two-month consultation; no favored proposal emerged among stakeholders — reported by Financial Times, March 6, 2026
  • Proposed rule would have allowed AI training on copyrighted works under a text-and-data mining exception unless rights holders explicitly opted out; creative industries opposed the opt-out model
  • Delay affects AI developers building or training models in the UK who were anticipating new legal clarity on use of copyrighted training data under UK law

Original source: Financial Times / Techmeme