Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett are among hundreds of actors, musicians and writers supporting a new campaign accusing artificial intelligence companies of illegally exploiting creative works to train their systems.
The campaign, titled “Stealing Is Not Innovation,” was launched on Thursday with the support of nearly 800 creative professionals, including the band REM and bestselling author Jodi Picoult.
In a joint statement, the signatories accused technology companies of using copyrighted material to create commercial AI platforms “without authorization or without regard to copyright law.”
“Artists, writers and creators of all types are uniting with one simple message,” the statement said. “Stealing our work is not innovation. It is not progress. It is theft – plain and simple.”
The campaign urges AI developers to pursue licensing agreements and partnerships with rights holders rather than removing creative content from the open web. It also acknowledges firms that have already adopted this approach. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPIT, has signed licensing deals with organizations including Disney and The Guardian, while Warner Music Group has inked a deal with AI music generator Suno.
Despite these deals, copyright remains one of the most controversial issues in the AI boom. Large language models and image generators rely on huge datasets drawn from online text, images and audio to generate responses. Many creators argue that this material is protected intellectual property and should not be used without consent or compensation.
AI firms including OpenAI have countered that the use of publicly available data falls under “fair use”, a principle in US law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission in certain circumstances. This argument is now being tested in the courts, with dozens of lawsuits filed in the United States over the past two years.
Johansson has already found herself at the center of debate. In 2024, she accused OpenAI of using a voice similar to her own for a ChatGPAT assistant and said she was “shocked, angry and in disbelief”. Later the company removed the voice.
Other high-profile 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 world's most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine”.
The initiative is 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.
There is intense debate regarding this in Britain also. The government has faced criticism over proposals that would allow AI firms to use copyrighted material without prior permission unless the creators explicitly opt out of it. Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, said this month that ministers were seeking a “reset” on the policy, with an official review expected to be published in March.
As AI adoption accelerates in media, entertainment and publishing, this campaign signals growing pressure from creators to assert control over the use of their work – and to ensure that the next wave of technological innovation does not come at their expense.
Amy Ingham
Amy is a newly qualified journalist specializing in business journalism with responsibility for news content at Business Matters, the UK's largest print and online source of current business news.