LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Paul McCartney urged the UK government Sunday to protect creative artists from artificial intelligence (AI) as ministers consult on changing copyright laws, warning technology should not be used to “rip off” musicians.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is considering overhauling the law to allow AI developers to use creators’ content online to help develop their models, unless rights holders opt out.

The mooted changes could see AI companies permitted to use material that is available online without respecting copyright if they are using it for text or data mining.

But McCartney and other critics question how artists will be able to opt out from thousands of different AI firms’ generative programs or monitor what has happened to their work on the internet.

The 82-year-old, one of the two surviving members of The Beatles, fears the plans could in the long-run remove the incentive for writers and artists to create new material and result in a “loss of creativity.”

“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,” McCartney told the BBC.

“The truth is, the money’s going somewhere... Somebody’s getting paid, so why shouldn’t it be the guy who sat down and wrote ‘Yesterday?’”

He added: “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.”

The government has said it will use its consultation running until 25 February to explore key points of the debate including how creators can license and be remunerated for the use of their material.

Asked about the plans in a separate BBC interview Sunday, finance minister Rachel Reeves said “we’ve got to get the copyright right” but noted “we want to support artists.”

In 2023, McCartney and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr used AI to extract John Lennon’s vocals from an unfinished decades-old song and produce a new track called “Now and Then.”

“I think AI is great, and it can do lots of great things,” McCartney told the BBC in the rare interview, adding “it has its uses.

“But it shouldn’t rip creative people off. There’s no sense in that.”