The UK Government has released its 2026 report considering the use of copyright works in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It follows the government’s consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, which ran from 17 December 2024 to 25 February 2025, as well as more recent engagement and developments.
The first section of the report considers the 4 policy options on copyright and the training of artificial intelligence models set out in the government’s consultation, as well as alternative approaches.
Subsequent sections consider aspects of copyright and AI training, including the wider regulatory environment, in more depth. They consider:
- the effect of copyright on access to, and use of, data by AI developers;
- transparency about the access to, and use of, copyright works by AI developers, and about the outputs of AI systems;
- technical measures and standards that may be used to control the access to, and use of, copyright works to develop AI systems;
- licensing of copyright works for AI development;
- enforcement of requirements and restrictions relating to the access to, and use of, copyright works to develop AI systems, and relating to their outputs.
These correspond to the themes listed in section 136(3) of the D(UA) Act. The sections draw on consultation responses and other information, including insights from stakeholder roundtable meetings and technical working groups.
The report also considers the other areas explored in the Copyright and AI consultation, which are not covered by the requirements of the D(UA) Act – computer-generated works and digital replicas.
