Artists Unite to Fight Unlicensed AI Use, Demand Protection for Creativity

Thousands of artists—including renowned ABBA singer Bjorn Ulvaeus, acclaimed actress Julianne Moore, and Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro—have united to sign a statement condemning the unauthorized use of creative works for AI training. As of Tuesday, approximately 11,500 creators from various fields, including music, literature, film, and theater, have added their names to the cause, reflecting widespread apprehension about tech companies leveraging existing artistic content without the consent of its original creators.

The artists’ statement succinctly articulates their position, declaring, “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works and must not be permitted.” This urgent call to action underscores the potential economic implications for artists whose creations may be used to develop AI models, leading to questions about intellectual property rights and fair compensation.

AI’s Intrusion into Hollywood and Beyond

The entertainment industry, particularly Hollywood, has seen a surge in AI experimentation in recent years. Studios have begun to implement AI technology in various ways, from resurrecting late film stars through realistic digital replicas to employing computer-generated background characters, which reduces the need for live actors during elaborate battle scenes. While these advancements hold promise for innovation, they have also ignited fears across multiple creative sectors about the future of artistic professions.

The initiative was spearheaded by British composer and former AI executive Ed Newton-Rex, who expressed his concerns in an interview with The Guardian. He criticized generative AI companies, including his previous employer Stability AI, for utilizing copyrighted content to train their models without compensating the original artists. “When AI companies call this ‘training data,’ they dehumanize it. What we’re talking about is people’s work— their writing, their art, their music,” Newton-Rex asserted, emphasizing the need to recognize the human effort behind creative outputs.

Legal Battles and Legislative Efforts

The legal landscape surrounding AI and intellectual property rights has been contentious. Last year, notable authors such as John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and George R.R. Martin initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of “systematic theft on a mass scale.” This case highlights the increasing pushback from creators against the perceived exploitation of their works by AI technologies.

In California, a group of Hollywood stars—including Pedro Pascal, Jane Fonda, and Mark Hamill—recently backed an ambitious AI safety bill aimed at regulating the use of AI in the creative industry. However, their efforts were thwarted when Governor Gavin Newsom ultimately vetoed the legislation, prompting further discussion about the need for protective measures.

Divergent Views on AI Collaboration

Despite the widespread concerns, some artists have taken a different approach by collaborating with AI technologies. Recently, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced a partnership with actor Casey Affleck and the horror production studio Blumhouse to explore its AI movie-generating software through a series of short films. This illustrates the divided sentiment within the artistic community regarding the integration of AI into creative processes.

Among the prominent figures supporting the statement are Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead; bestselling author James Patterson; and actor Kevin Bacon.