82% of UK workers feed AI copyrighted content, survey finds

A growing number of UK professionals are embracing generative AI in the workplace, yet many remain unaware they may be breaching copyright law in the process, new research suggests.

According to a survey of 4,000 UK professionals — evenly split across the public and private sectors — 82% of those using generative AI (GAI) admitted to feeding third-party content into prompts, often without realising it could constitute copyright infringement.

The study, conducted by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), highlights a widening gap between AI adoption and legal understanding.

While 77% of respondents acknowledged the risk of copyright infringement, only 24% said they fully understood the terms and conditions of the tools they use.

The report, titled How professionals are using generative AI in the workplace and the copyright implications this creates, paints a picture of enthusiasm outpacing responsibility.

“As generative AI becomes an integral part of the workplace, it’s critical that its use is underpinned by lawful and ethical practices,” said Tom Cantle, Research and Insight Manager at CLA.

“Our research shows that employees are enthusiastic about GAI’s potential but need clearer guidance on how to use it responsibly.”

The research suggests that many UK organisations are still playing catch-up. Only 61% of employees said their employer has a formal policy governing the use of generative AI. In the absence of such guidance, some 15% of users may be engaging with GAI tools without explicit authorisation from their organisations.

Among financial services professionals, confidence in AI-generated outputs appears notably lower. Just 20% of respondents from the banking and finance sector said they trusted the accuracy of GAI content — below the 28% average across all sectors.

Despite this, 80% of finance professionals reported that their employer paid for their use of GAI tools, indicating a high level of institutional investment.

To address these gaps, CLA will extend its corporate and public sector licences from 1 May 2025 to include specific permissions for generative AI. These new terms will allow licensed organisations to legally use published content in prompts for approved enterprise versions of GAI tools.

The aim is to ensure creators and rights holders are fairly compensated, while giving employees the legal certainty to use GAI for tasks such as article summarisation, data analysis and presentation drafting.

“Generative AI, like previous technological advancements, presents significant benefits for our customers but also introduces new risks and challenges regarding the lawful use of copyrighted material by employees,” said Mat Pfleger, CEO of CLA.

“Our goal has always been to empower our customers to legally copy, use, and share copyrighted content while safeguarding the rights of creators and rightsholders.”

The updated licensing scheme will apply to both print and digital content — including books, journals, and websites — from participating publishers.

Developed in consultation with member organisations, the move is part of a wider push to modernise copyright compliance in the era of AI-powered productivity tools.

As UK lawmakers continue to resist “opt-in” copyright reforms favoured by some rights holders, responsibility for lawful use of AI tools is increasingly falling on individual users and organisations.

Without clearer rules or consistent policies, experts warn, both legal and reputational risks could escalate.