The Creative Economy Has Reached a Fault Line
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reached deep into the creative industries. Music, art, writing, and design are not influenced, and often replicated, by generative models trained on massive datasets. The concern is not with the existence of these technologies but with how they are being built and deployed.The UK’s Make It Fair campaign is a rallying point for artists, publishers, editors, and institutions who recognise what’s at stake: the fundamental rights of creators to control how their work is used, attributed, and monetised in an AI-driven world.
What the Campaign Demands and Why it Matters
The campaign sets forth three foundational pillars:- Consent – Creators should be asked before their work is used to train or power AI.
- Credit – Every source that contributes to a final output deserves visible recognition.
- Compensation – Value generated from creative work should return to its originators.
This is not a wishlist. These principles reflect decades of established practices across publishing, music, journalism, and art, which are now being tested by the rise of unregulated AI systems.
Who’s Backing It–And Why This is Different
Support for Make It Fair spans the entire creative spectrum: Universal Music Group, Sony Music UK, Warner Music, BPI, the Society of Editors, the Publishers Association, and individual artists like Paloma Faith and Danny Jones. Their message has been amplified at the BRIT Awards, across national news outlets, and by nearly every major media organisation in the UK.This is not just a niche industry response. It’s a cross-sector cultural reckoning with the economic, legal, and ethical consequences of AI development.
What’s At Risk Without Regulation
Proposed government policy in the UK could exempt AI developers from needing copyright permission for training data. This would allow creative works to be absorbed into commercial machine learning systems without notifying or compensating creators.Such legislation would tilt the balance of power in favour of technology companies and undermine the entire creative economy. It would eliminate consent from the process, devalue the role of authorship, and allow companies to monetise without giving anything back to the people whose work they’re building on.
Ethical AI Requires Infrastructure, Not Assumptions
Responsible AI cannot rely on invisible labour–it must be supported by platforms and policies that track, verify, and honour contribution.That’s where Creative Splits comes in. As an attribution and payment management platform, it’s designed to handle the complexity of multi-contributor projects. Whether you’re producing music, editing video, managing content, or distributing media, Creative Splits ensures each collaborator gets the recognition and revenue they’ve earned—down to the finest detail.
Looking Ahead: Redefining Ownership in the AI Era
Creativity has always involved transformation. Sampling, remixing, and influence—these are the building blocks of cultural evolution. But transformation without transparency becomes theft.AI systems can enhance creative work. They can open doors to new collaborations and hybrid art forms. But without consent, credit, and compensation, the people behind the source material risk being written out of their own legacy.
The Make It Fair campaign is not a rejection of progress. It is a blueprint for how to move forward without leaving creators behind.
Creative Splits: Powering Fair Collaboration in a Changing Industry
When technology disrupts the norm, systems of fairness must evolve just as fast. Creative Splits provides the modern infrastructure needed to manage creative contributions and complex revenue sharing in real time.Whether you’re a label, a publisher, or an independent team building something extraordinary, we can give you the clarity and tools to ensure every contributor is seen and supported. Contact us now to explore how Creative Splits can work for you!
