‘On the brink’: Arts leaders ramp up warnings over AI use

The report demands that the law must prevent generative AI models from using creatives’ work without their consent and enforce fair remuneration for artists whose work is used. 

The report compiles the results of surveys undertaken between 2023 and 2025 about AI conducted by Equity and the Independent Society of Musicians, as well as the Society of Authors, the Association of Illustrators and the Association of Photographers. 

Seen together, the findings across different art forms paint a picture of job losses and income drops directly due to generative AI.

Among the key statistics are:

• 99% of creators say their work has been scraped by AI without consent.
• 83% of voice artists report cloned voices and AI-generated avatars already circulating online.
• 73% of musicians say unregulated generative AI now threatens their ability to earn a living.
• Musicians have described income cuts of up to 50% as generative AI replaces paid work.

Performers are among those most severely affected by the rapid spread of digital replicas, which allow voices, faces and performances to be captured once and reused indefinitely without further consent, control or payment, the report claims. 

Last year, AI-generated virtual performer Tilly Norwood sparked outrage from creative leaders including Society of London Theatre and UK Theatres, which responded with a demand for live performance to be protected. 

Scottish actor Briony Monroe believes her likeness has been used to develop Tilly Norwood and is currently pursuing a case against the matter. 

"The rise of digital replicas [...] makes clear that the UK now needs a modern system of personality rights: rights that protect a person’s name, likeness, performance and distinctive creative identity from unauthorised commercial exploitation," the report demands. 

It also moves to debunk notions that generative AI is a driver of economic growth. 

"While generative AI may contribute to future economic growth, it is unlikely to offset the potential losses from creative sector contraction," the report reads. 

It takes aim at AI’s environmental implications, citing recent research that projected AI data centres would consume 4% of global electricity, comparable to the entire power consumption of Japan. 

The report calls for "urgent action from government, regulators and the creative sector to prevent generative AI causing irreversible damage to the UK’s creative economy and cultural identity".

Its demands, which it calls a "minimum standard", include:

• Copyright law must be bolstered so that creators’ works cannot be used to train generative AI models without "explicit, prior consent".
• A statuary licensing scheme providing a legal route for AI developers to access creative works, ensuring creators are fairly paid and credited.
• All AI-generated work must be labelled.
• Fair pay for those artists whose work is used by AI.

Currently, the Data (Use and Access) Act, which received royal assent last year despite vehement opposition from the creative industries, means creatives’ work can be mined by AI by default. 

In the report’s foreword, Kidron – a key political campaigner against the bill – writes: "This is an existential moment for creators. Copyright is not a technical inconvenience; it is the mechanism that allows creators to earn a living and to retain control over the meaning and integrity of their work. Remove it, and you do not merely damage an industry – you dismantle the conditions under which culture itself can exist."

Of the report, Fleming added: "This new research paints a stark picture of what Equity members have long known: that tech companies are getting away with flagrant breaches of creatives’ rights, stealing their work or likeness without consent or pay to train AI models."

Equity members working in film and TV said almost unanimously that they would be prepared to take industrial action to secure better protection from AI at the end of last year.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been contacted for comment.