March 1, 2025
Legendary LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page has a released a statement pushing back against U.K. government’s proposal to expand the ways that developers can use copyright-protected works to train artificial intelligence models.
The British government recently said it was "consulting on a new approach that protects the interests of both AI developers and right holders and delivers a solution which allows both to thrive." The government added it was looking into how copyright law can "enable creators and right holders to exercise control over, and seek remuneration for, the use of their works for AI training" while also ensuring "AI developers have easy access to a broad range of high-quality creative content."
But the proposal for a plan that would allow tech companies to use copyrighted material to help train A.I. models unless content creators explicitly opt out has raised concern among musicians — including Kate Bush , Imogen Heap , Annie Lennox , Cat Stevens and Hans Zimmer — who released a silent album last month titled "Is This What We Want?" in response to the U.K. government’s proposed changes to the copyright law.
Earlier today (Saturday, March 1), Page released the following statement via his social media: "In the disciplined studios of the early 1960s London, I honed my craft as a session musician, lending my guitar to a myriad of artists across genres. Those countless hours, often three three-hour sessions a day, were more than just work; they were a crucible of creativity, collaboration, and ceaseless inspiration.
"I was required to create and conjure riffs and lyrical figures immediately without slowing down the momentum of the work being recorded with the other musicians and the artist.
"This journey from the anonymity of session work to the global stages with LED ZEPPELIN was not a path paved by algorithms or data sets. It was a voyage marked by spontaneous improvisation and the unquantifiable spark of human ingenuity. The alchemy that transformed a unique riff into an anthem was etched into the collective soul of the band — a synergy that no machine can emulate.
"Today, as artificial intelligence seeks to mimic […]
JIMMY PAGE Pushes Back Against U.K. Government’s Artificial Intelligence Copyright Proposal
