Famous musician Elton John criticizes the UK's new AI copyright policy as "criminal theft".

According to a report by Decrypt on May 19, renowned musician Elton John has strongly criticized the UK government’s proposed AI copyright reform plan, calling it a “criminal act” and a “massive theft” from artists. The plan would allow AI developers to use creative works that they can legally obtain for training AI models without having to secure explicit permission.

John stated in an interview with BBC: “The danger lies with young artists who do not have the resources to constantly check or fight against large tech companies.” He, along with over 400 artists including Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, and Dua Lipa, jointly issued an open letter calling on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to support amendments to the “Data ( Usage and Acquisition ) Act”, demanding transparency in the sources of data used to train AI models.