Trump's AI Agenda Threatens UK's Creative Sector

Strategic Insights -

American President Donald Trump's unwavering support for Big Tech's interests has far-reaching implications for the UK's media and creative industries. As he landed in Britain with the intention of persuading Labour leader Keir Starmer to ease America's Big Tech giants, Trump gave his clearest indication yet of his allegiance to Silicon Valley's demands. In a Washington speech, Trump vowed to strip away regulations and "bureaucratic red tape" to allow American AI firms to compete against Chinese rivals, disregarding concerns over copyright breaches and AI-powered content scraping.

Key Takeaways:

  • Trump's speech has significant implications for the UK's media and creative industries, which are fighting to prevent AI firms from scraping their work for free to train large language models.
  • More than 40 legal actions have been filed against AI firms for alleged copyright breaches since 2022, with 400 signatories, including Jeanette Winterson, Kazuo Ishiguro, Elton John, and the News Media Association, urging Starmer not to give away British creative work to overseas tech companies.
  • Trump's position on AI is unequivocal: he believes that the UK and other countries should adopt the same rules as China, which differs from his own stance that copyright laws are violated when individuals access digital content.
  • The US-UK trade deal is set to be renegotiated, with Trump demanding changes to the digital services tax that requires social media platforms and search engines to hand over 2 per cent of revenues.
  • Trump's "AI action plan" promotes the global export of American AI and denies federal funding to countries with unfriendly regulation, putting UK attempts to tighten rules against scraping at risk.

Statistics:

  • 40+ legal actions filed against AI firms for alleged copyright breaches since 2022.
  • 400 signatories, including notable authors, musicians, and industry associations, urging Starmer not to give away British creative work to overseas tech companies.
  • £125bn: the value of the UK's creative sector, which is threatened by AI-powered content scraping.
  • $36m (£27m): the amount spent by the tech industry on lobbyists in 2025, according to Issue One, an American NGO.
  • 8-figure fines: the penalties that Ofcom can impose on social media companies that fail to comply with the Online Safety Act.

Sources:

  • Issue One - American NGO
  • Jeanette Winterson, Kazuo Ishiguro, Elton John, and the News Media Association
  • The Online Safety Act