Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett are among hundreds of actors, musicians and writers backing a new campaign accusing artificial intelligence companies of unlawfully exploiting creative work to train their systems.
The campaign, titled “Stealing Isn’t Innovation,” launched on Thursday with the support of around 800 creatives, including the band REM and best-selling author Jodi Picoult.
In a joint statement, the signatories accuse tech companies of using copyrighted material “without authorization or respect for copyright law” to build commercial AI platforms.
“Artists, writers and creators of all kinds are uniting with one simple message,” the statement said. “Stealing our work is not innovation. It is not progress. It is theft – pure and simple.”
The campaign calls on AI developers to enter into licensing agreements and partnerships with rights holders instead of removing creative content from the open web. It also recognizes companies that have already taken this approach. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has signed licensing deals with organizations such as Disney and The Guardian, while Warner Music Group has an agreement with AI music generator Suno.
Despite these agreements, copyright remains one of the most contentious issues in the AI boom. Large language models and image generators rely on massive data sets of online text, images and audio to generate answers. Many creators argue that this material is protected intellectual property and cannot be used without permission or compensation.
AI companies, including OpenAI, have countered that the use of publicly available data falls under “fair use,” a doctrine under U.S. law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission in certain circumstances. The argument is currently being tested in court, and dozens of lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. over the past two years.
Johansson is already at the center of the debate. In 2024, she accused OpenAI of using a voice very similar to her own for a ChatGPT assistant, saying she was “shocked, upset and in disbelief.” The company then removed the voice.
Other prominent supporters of the campaign include actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan and singer Cyndi Lauper. Gilligan previously described generative AI as “the most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine in the world.”
The initiative was organized by the Human Artistry Campaign, whose supporters include the Writers Guild of America, the Recording Industry Association of America and the actors union SAG-AFTRA, which went on strike in 2023 in part over concerns about the use of AI.
The debate is also intensifying in Great Britain. The government has been criticized over proposals that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted material without prior permission unless the creators specifically object. Technology Minister Liz Kendall said this month that ministers were seeking a “reset” of policy and an official review was expected to be published in March.
As the adoption of AI in media, entertainment and publishing accelerates, the campaign signals a growing desire by creators to take control of how their work is used – and ensure that the next wave of technological innovation does not come at their expense.
