Sir Elton John brands ministers as ‘absolute losers' for AI rules

Sir Elton John and the ministers have gotten caught up in a row over artificial intelligence (AI) laws.

The 77-year-old iconic pianist labelled them as “absolute losers” and even called the science secretary Peter Kyle “a moron” for even potentially thinking that tech companies should be given permission to use artists’ work to create content without paying for it.

Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Elton said, “Some people aren’t like me, they don’t earn as much as I do.

“When they’re creative, and it comes from the human soul and not from a machine – because a machine is not capable of writing anything with any soul in it – if you’re going to get rid of that and you’re going to rob young people of their legacy and their income, it’s a criminal offence, I think,” the Rocket Man hitmaker added.

He further mentioned, “I think the government are just being absolute losers. I’m very angry about it, as you can tell.”

Sir Elton John received a response from Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, who said:

“The government is trying to find a way forward that is dealing with the concerns that are being raised quite passionately by the cultural sector, but also making sure that we maintain that world-leading position in AI. Pursuing those two objectives is the balance we need to strike.”

Additionally, a government spokesperson stated, “We want our creative industries and AI companies to flourish, which is why we’re consulting on a package of measures that we hope will work for both sectors. We’re clear that changes will be considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators.”