Lords Communications Committee publishes government response to Large Language Model report – more action needed on copyright and market competition

Baroness Stowell, Chair of the House of Lords Communications Committee, has today written to Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology following the publication of the Government's response to the Committee's report on Large Language Models and Generative AI.

In her letter Baroness Stowell emphasises the concerns regarding market consolidation in the AI and Large Language Model sector, and the risks of limited competition and regulatory capture. The letter calls for market competition to be made “an explicit policy objective” for the Government that is “embedded within the design and review process for new policies and standards” in AI.

The letter also criticises the Government's work on copyright as “inadequate and deteriorating”, arguing that the Government is “avoiding taking sides on a contentious topic”. In the letter Baroness Stowell says:

“The Government's reticence to take meaningful action amounts to a de facto endorsement of tech firms' practices.  

“That reflects poorly on this Government's commitment to British businesses, fair play and the equal application of the law.”

Baroness Stowell's full letter is available on the Committee's website here

The Government's response to the Committee's LLM report is available here