Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge has weighed in on the ongoing debate over AI and copyright, having penned an op-ed for The Times urging policymakers to implement “appropriate guardrails” on artificial intelligence.

Grainge’s remarks land as the British Labour government considers controversial changes to copyright law in a bid to position the UK as a leader in AI development. Among the proposals: an “opt-out” system that would allow AI companies to train models on copyrighted works by default — unless rightsholders explicitly say otherwise. A similar framework is already enshrined in the European Union’s sweeping AI legislation.

Critics argue the move would upend copyright protections. “This proposal reverses the very principle of copyright law,” said Ed Newton-Rex, the founder of ethical AI certification non-profit Fairly Trained and the architect behind last week’s “Silent Album” protest. More than 1,000 artists — including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox — joined forces on the silent record to push back against the UK’s proposed reforms.

Grainge, in his column, framed the protest as “a warning against the impact of unchecked AI on the creative arts,” adding that it raises fundamental questions about the future of intellectual property. “How do we best protect creative and imaginative invention, while harnessing new technology without it harnessing us? Who wins or loses if we change the rules of the game?” he wrote.

Importantly, Grainge emphasized that he is not anti-AI. “By no means am I suggesting that AI is intrinsically negative,” he noted, citing its potential to revolutionize medicine, scientific research, and even artistic expression. But he cautioned that AI must be guided by ethical and legal oversight: “Technology itself can never know right from wrong… The choices we make about AI now — ethical, legal, and technological — will reverberate for decades to come.”

Grainge also highlighted the music industry’s long history of adapting to technological disruption — from vinyl to CDs to streaming — while asserting that “great music always flows from human creativity,” a principle he believes should remain foundational, even in the AI era. He then closed his op-ed with a call for cooperation among governments, industries, and creators to ensure AI’s development remains fair and responsible. “Ingenuity has always been one of the UK’s superpowers, from the steam engines of the Industrial Revolution to the Beatles shaping global culture through music,” he wrote, adding that progress isn’t guaranteed — it must be safeguarded. “AI will transform society, but how it transforms society is up to us.”