Hollywood and AI tech companies haven't seen eye-to-eye for quite some time. It doesn't take more than a few seconds to realise why artists who spend their lives devoted to a craft aren't too happy when companies try and sell off cheap imitations without permission. Now, a new campaign sees hundreds of Hollywood actors, writers, directors, and more sign up to back the cause of copyright enforcement and prevention of stolen work from big tech.
Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, Common, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, MGMT, Olivia Munn, and more join hundreds of their fellow creatives in supporting the campaign. Johansson in particular has been battling AI recreations for some time, as in 2024 she spoke out against the use of her likeness in a viral video which also used the likenesses of major Jewish celebrities for a fake anti-Semitism campaign.
"America's creative community is the envy of the world and creates jobs, economic growth, and exports," reads the statement on Stealing Isn't Innovation's site. "But rather than respect and protect this valuable asset, some of the biggest tech companies, many backed by private equity and other funders, are using American creators' work to build AI platforms without authorization or regard for copyright law. Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are banding together with a simple message: Stealing our work is not innovation. It's not progress. It's theft - plain and simple...We can have advanced, rapidly developing AI and ensure creators' rights are respected."
So, the call isn't for a total AI ban, but rather one that respects creators' wishes more than it does the whims of random users. AI regulations still feel very much behind the speed of the technology, but perhaps soon they'll be forced to catch up.