{"id":164138,"date":"2025-06-04T21:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T01:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/06\/04\/elton-john-warns-u-k-government-we-will-not-back-down-over-ai-bill-at-billboards-global-power-players-event-read-his-full-speech\/"},"modified":"2025-06-04T21:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T01:06:10","slug":"elton-john-warns-u-k-government-we-will-not-back-down-over-ai-bill-at-billboards-global-power-players-event-read-his-full-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/06\/04\/elton-john-warns-u-k-government-we-will-not-back-down-over-ai-bill-at-billboards-global-power-players-event-read-his-full-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Elton John Warns U.K. Government \u2018We Will Not Back Down\u2019 Over AI Bill at Billboard\u2019s Global Power Players Event: Read His Full\u00a0Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tSir Elton John<\/a> collected the Creators\u2019 Champion Award at Billboard\u2019s<\/em> Global Power Players<\/a> event in London on Wednesday (June 4) and used his speech to warn the U.K. government that \u201cwe will not back down\u201d in relation to its controversial AI data bill.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Players,<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tBillboard’s 2025 Global Power Players\u00a0Revealed\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tJoined by his manager and husband David Furnish, John was awarded the inaugural trophy by Billboard<\/em> editor-in-chief Hannah Karp in recognition for standing up for the creative industry and calling for fair usage and protections for music rights holders in relation to AI models.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs referenced in John\u2019s speech, the Labour government\u2019s data bill \u2013 which proposes an opt-out approach for rights holders, as opposed to the preferred opt-in strategy \u2013 has been voted down by the House of Lords for an unprecedented fifth time. Led by Baroness Kidron, the ping-pong between the Houses of Commons and the upper house has lasted for weeks and resulted in John calling the government \u201cabsolute losers\u201d<\/a> in a recent interview.<\/p>\n

\n\tTaking to the stage, John thanked Billboard<\/em> for the accolade as he was honored alongside other industry leaders such as Empire\u2019s Ghazi and Tems on the night. \u201cSupporting the next generation of British artists is one of the major driving forces in my life,\u201d he said and thanked the Lords who backed the amendment saying \u201cyou rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe continued: \u201cThe onus is now on the government to do the right thing and have transparency added to the bill. We\u2019ve asked them so many times to come to us. We\u2019ve had so many meetings with them saying that we wanted to work with you.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCopyright has to be transparent and seek permission,\u201d he continued. \u201cThese two principles are the bedrock of the industry and they must be included in the data bill as a backstop. Let\u2019s be clear: We want to work with the government, we want our government to work with us. We are not anti-AI and we are not anti-Big Tech.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tJohn added in his passionate speech: \u201cWe are not against Labour and we want a solution. We want to bring all parties together in a way that is transparent and fair and allows artists to maintain control of their work.\u201d He concluded: \u201cWe will not back down and we will not go away quietly. This is just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRead the full speech below.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n