CREATIVE workers need a “regime of personality rights” to protect them from misuse of their voice and personal image by artificial intelligence, Equity has said.

The performing artists’ and entertainment workers’ union vowed to lobby the government to introduce the rights for artists to better protect and license their likeness.

Delegates at its annual conference passed a motion today calling on the TUC to lobby government to introduce the regime and push for the enforcement of data protection rights. 

Equity will also campaign against the introduction of a “text and data mining exception,” which would allow AI companies to train their models on copyrighted work.

Proposing the motion, actor Feyesa Wakjira, a member of the union’s governing body, said: “It is simple, it is clear: creative contributions belong to the artist principally … It also means, should any of us agree to participate in using AI, it must include informed consent, that we be fairly remunerated and that abuse of trust must not be tolerated.

“This will protect our industry and our members, and above all our creative independence.”

Singers Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are among 400 creatives, media leaders and business bosses who have signed a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to protect the lifeblood of the industry and back proposals to protect copyright law.

The letter urges Sir Keir Starmer to back an amendment to the Data (Use & Access) Bill that would require tech companies to be transparent about the creative content they use to train generative AI models.

The Bill has passed its third reading in the Commons and faces a House of Lords vote today.