Impact Assessment - Government ministers have pledged to carry out an “economic impact assessment” of its planned changes to copyright law following alarm from across the creative industries and within parliament itself. Ahead of a vote in parliament this week, Labour has vowed to produce a report exploring “the breadth of issues raised in the AI and copyright debate”, including the ways in which AI developers are able to train their systems in the UK.
This marks an acknowledgement of the fears expressed by creatives in recent months, with the likes of Elton John, Cameron Mackintosh and Tom Stoppard condemning a proposed opt-out system under which tech giants would be automatically permitted to train AI models on work unless its creators expressly forbade it.
The government’s latest commitments form part of amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill set to be debated in the House of Commons as the bill progresses to its Report Stage. But Chris Bryant, minister for the creative industries, has said the government will not make “any more moves unless we are certain it supports our objectives”.
“Growing the economy is central to the government’s Plan for Change, and the creative industries and AI are two of the country’s most important drivers of that growth,” the statement explained.
Loans Package - An organisation dedicated to boosting arts spending has launched a £2m loans package aimed at helping companies facing cash flow issues in the Theatre Tax Relief process. Figurative, which set out on its mission to support the cultural and creative sector last year, is appealing to not-for-profit theatre organisations to apply for the help.
The loans will ensure organisations facing cash flow challenges when waiting for their TTR funds to arrive from HMRC can remain "financially resilient". Fran Sanderson, chief executive at Figurative, said: "One of the roles that we have, bearing in mind we are taking grants that would otherwise be supporting the sector, is to look around and see where the problems are. We were hearing from a lot of theatres we were talking to that waiting for TTR was a real challenge."
Introduced in 2014, TTR supports companies including charities that produce theatrical performances and productions. Figurative aims to plug the gap that companies experience while waiting for their TTR funds to come through, with unsecured loans ranging from £100,000 to £500,000.
Going Gaga - More than two million people attended a free Lady Gaga concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, city officials say. The pop star's biggest ever concert was paid for by the city in an attempt to revitalise Rio's economy. They expect it could bring in $100m (£75m) to the local economy.
Brazilian police said they thwarted a bomb attack planned for the concert. The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro state, in co-ordination with the justice ministry, said suspects had recruited participants to carry out attacks using improvised explosives and the plan was aimed at gaining notoriety on social media. The person responsible for the plan and a teenager were arrested, the police said. Lady Gaga's team said they learned about the bomb threat only from media reports the morning after the gig.
Saturday's performance was part of a promotional tour for Lady Gaga's eighth album, Mayhem, whose songs include Abracadabra and Die With a Smile. She last performed in Brazil in 2012. A massive security operation was in place, with 5,000 police officers on duty and attendees having to pass through metal detectors. The authorities also used drones and facial recognition cameras to help police the event.
Pub Rock - Fans of Ed Sheeran were treated to a "surprise" gig at a pub in his home county that he is taking over for a fortnight. The Thomas Wolsey in Ipswich town centre has been re-branded as The Old Phone – named after one of Sheeran's latest songs. The pub will be known by that name for two weeks, before it reverts to its actual name again.
Farewell - Mike Peters, front man of Welsh rockers The Alarm and a long-standing cancer campaigner and fundraiser, has died aged 66. His band was formed in 1981 in Rhyl, Denbighshire, out of the punk era and had a top 20 hit, Sixty Eight Guns, two years later. It typified an anthemic style of song but their unpretentious and down-to-earth approach earned loyal followings on both sides of the Atlantic.
(Jim Evans)
