CIPPM’s Benjamin White has recently contributed two OpEds to Times Higher Education, in which he examines the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright, and the UK’s industrial strategy.

Published in December 2025 and March 2026, the articles – The UK’s copyright laws will hobble its AI ambitions and Copyright maximalism will stifle a research-intensive digital economy – examine how current UK copyright frameworks risk constraining the development and deployment of AI technologies.

Across both pieces, White argues that data is a foundational pillar of AI innovation, yet existing copyright rules place significant barriers on how organisations can access and reuse it. In particular, he highlights that UK law currently does not permit commercial data mining, even when organisations already have lawful access to the content.

White situates these legal constraints within a broader industrial strategy context, suggesting that restrictive copyright approaches will undermine the UK’s competitiveness in a global AI landscape. He notes that, compared with countries such as the US, Japan and Singapore, the UK’s framework limits the ability of businesses, universities and public bodies to analyse and share data at scale – a key requirement for AI-driven innovation.

A central theme in both his articles is the mismatch between policy narratives and practical realities. White challenges the common framing of AI and copyright as a conflict between large technology companies and the creative industries, arguing that the implications extend across the entire economy, including healthcare, the NHS, climate science research, and public-sector innovation.

Together, the two articles contribute to ongoing national and international debates on how copyright law can balance the protection of creative works with the need to foster innovation, productivity, and economic growth in the age of AI.