The album features a wide range of artists, spanning various genres. Damon Albarn, Kate Bush, The Clash, Jamiroquai, Hans Zimmer, and The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are amongst more than 1,000 artists who have released a silent album in protest of the British government’s proposed changes to AI copyright laws. All profits will be given to the charity Help Musicians. The full list is available here.

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A post shared by Kate Bush (@katebushmusic)

The track-listing for the record simply spells out the message: “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.” In 2023, the UK music contributed a record £7.6 billion to the economy. 

The album features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces which showcases what the future could become for musicians in the UK if the changes go ahead.

In a statement released alongside the album, the purpose of the project was made explicit: “In late 2024, the UK government proposed changing copyright law to allow artificial intelligence companies to build their products using other people’s copyrighted work—music, artworks, text, and more—without a licence. The musicians on this album came together to protest this.”

The project was organised and put together by Ed Newton-Rex. Newton-Rex was formerly the lead of the audio team at Stability AI, resigning in November 2023 over the company’s stance that training AI models on copyrighted work fell under ‘fair use’. The following January, he launched Fairly Trained, an initiative that recognises and certifies AI companies that obtain consent to data mine protected works.

A spokesman for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said in a statement: “The UK’s current regime for copyright and AI is holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from realising their full potential – and that cannot continue. That’s why we have been consulting on a new approach that protects the interests of both AI developers and right holders and delivers a solution which allows both to thrive… No decisions have been taken, no moves will be made until we are absolutely confident we have a practical plan that delivers each of our objectives.”

The album comes just weeks before the end of the government’s consultation period on the issue. The government’s preferred approach is an ‘opt-out’ system, forcing artists to actively request for the removal of their work. Alternative proposals have been suggested, such as an opt-in, or a model which compensates the artists fairly for access to their work, as well as allowing them to profit from any projects which make use of their work.

The new plans fail to reimburse artists for AI recreating and copying their work, stifle creativity, and the proposed opt-out scheme places an unnecessary burden on artists, critics say. The petition was signed by Bush, Radiohead star Thom Yorke, ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and The Cure frontman Robert Smith.

Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney were also voices that spoke out against the law. During a recent interview on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the former Beatles member said: “You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don’t own it, and they don’t have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off … We’re the people, you’re the government! You’re supposed to protect us. That’s your job. So you know, if you’re putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you’re not going to have them.”

Response to the album online has been overwhelmingly positive. Yusuf/Cat Stevens shared the project on his X account, seemingly bringing the issue to a new audience. One user commented under the musician’s post, saying, “AI should be banned from harvesting the products of human creativity in the arts, music, writing, or painting. Limit it to diagnostics for science, tech, engineering, medicine, and housework. Free people to think and be paid for their creativity.”

AI should be banned from harvesting the products of human creativity in the arts, music, writing or painting.
Limit it to Diagnostics for Science tech, engineering , medicine, house work.
Free people to think and be paid for their creativity.
Grow the Arts economy don’t kill it.

— Phil (@PhilipBagLowe) February 25, 2025

The debate is raging in other countries too. Two weeks ago, a judge in Delaware ruled in favour of a copyright holder against an AI company who claimed their practices were covered by ‘fair use’.

With only two weeks of the consultation period left, ‘Is This What We Want?’ represents the final push to influence those who can really make a difference. Whether the project will be able to change the minds of a seemingly entrenched government position is yet to be seen, though the UK creative sector isn’t going down without a fight.

This article was co-reported and co-written by Lewis Pinto and Marie Choquet

Cook revealed that his last two singles, ‘Bus Stop Please’ and ‘Role Model’, were born from live performances rather than traditional studio sessions. “They were both things that I made just to play on the side,” he explained. “I had tunes that nobody else had in my set. And that kind of caught on with people when we worked out that we could clear the samples and release them.”

‘Role Model’ caused a stir online due to its use of AI in the music video. The accompanying video featured pop culture figures such as Bootsy Collins and Jane Fonda miming to the track, with fans flocking to Reddit to identify each character. Reception was divided, with one commenter calling it “AI slop,” while another praised it as the “best use of AI in pop culture so far, by a mile.”

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Despite his recent releases, Cook admitted that his passion for producing music has waned. “The thing is, you can’t make music unless you’re absolutely passionate about it,” he said. “For five years, I tried to beat myself up about it and go, ‘You should be doing this.’ But then I thought, ‘Well, everybody likes my DJing and I enjoy that more, so I’ll do that.’”

Saw Fatboy Slim tonight and the screens were just filled with AI slop pic.twitter.com/XB9eoGuLSF — RodentBoi (@RodentBoi69) August 25, 2024

Cook’s decision to focus on DJing aligns with previous statements on longevity in the industry. Speaking to Music Feeds Australia in 2019, he remarked, “Being a DJ doesn’t seem to have the same ageing in it that other styles of music do. Our experience compensates for our advancing years.”

This eclectic career—from punk enthusiast at 14 to bassist for indie icons The Housemartins, and later a pioneer of the UK’s big beat scene alongside The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers—has cemented his status as one of the UK’s most influential electronic artists.

The event also marked the 20th anniversary of ‘Palookaville’, Cook’s last full-length studio album released in 2004, reissued in October. He previously expressed indifference about releasing new albums, telling NME in 2019: “I’ll probably end up making more music and regain my love for producing, but it probably won’t be an album.”

During the session, Cook reminisced about his schooldays at Reigate Grammar School, where he shared a classroom with Keir Starmer. “He was actually in my class for five years,” Cook said, adding that Starmer played guitar in a school band. “He gave off no whiff of, ‘I’m going to be Prime Minister one day.’” Reigate Grammar’s current headmaster is the son of glam rocker Alvin Stardust and the brother of DJ Adam F.

Cook’s reflections suggest an artist still doing what he loves, the way he wants to. He hasn’t bowed to commercial pressures for twenty years, and that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon.