A virtual image of UK Parliament Source:&nbsp ShutterstockLeading architects including David Chipperfield and Amanda Levete have called on the government to protect the professions intellectual property rights from AI In a consultation that closed last month, the government proposed allowing AI firms to use the copyrighted work of creative industries including architecture, music, film, TV, publishing and design without permission.In theory, it would allow AI firms such as ChatGPT and Midjourney to create new content having learned from existing intellectually protected work without breaking copyright law. However, the government says creative firms will have the choice to opt out.Writing in a letter to technology secretary Peter Kyle, more than 30 high-profile names from the design world said the proposed law change risks running roughshod over the design and creative industries.AdvertisementThe designers argue that their profession, like the music industry, is built on copyright, intellectual property and patents and that AI companies were being allowed flout copyright law.Just like the music sector, we rely on a mix of copyright and IP and patents. Interconnected and progressive, these copyright systems allow us to imagine and build the world around us, the group said in a letter first shared in The Guardian.They argued that the choice of opting out was unfair, as it placed the burden on the creative sector. They claimed the government was avoiding demanding that AI companies observe the law and our copyright so that we can determine when and on what basis we share our imagination and hard work.Chipperfield, founder and principle of David Chipperfield Architects, Jasper Conran, son of the late Terence Conran and chairman of Conran and Partners, and Levete, founder and principle of AL_A, were among the signatories to the letter.A RIBA report last year showed that 43 per cent of architects use AI on the occasional project. However, 58 per cent of architects surveyed by the institute said they believed AI increases the risk of their work being copied.AdvertisementA government spokesperson told The Guardian that existing copyright law was holding back the creative industries, media, and AI sector from reaching their full potential.The statement added: We are committed to greater transparency from AI developers regarding the content used to train their models. We have always been clear that no decisions will be made until we are confident in a practical plan that meets all our objectives.2025-04-02Gino Spocchiacomment and share