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Hundreds of creatives warn against an AI slop future
Around 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians signed on to a new campaign against what they call "theft at a grand scale" by AI companies. The signatories of the campaign -- called "Stealing Isn't Innovation" -- include authors George Saunders and Jodi Picoult, actors Cate Blanchett and
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A-List creatives sign up to fight AI, say it enables 'theft at a grand scale'
Scarlett Johannsson, R.E.M., Vince Gilligan and over 700 other artists are demanding that tech companies stop "stealing" their work in order to train AI models. A new campaign called "Stealing isn't Innovation" demands that AI companies take "the responsible, ethical route" through licensing and
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'It's theft - plain and simple': hundreds of artists including Scarlett Johansson have snapped and made an anti-AI campaign that says 'a better way exists'
* Hundreds of artists have launched an anti-AI campaign * They say AI is stealing their work and want licensing deals instead * Signatories include Scarlett Johansson, Cyndi Lauper, and more Among the many controversies surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), the way it trains its
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Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett back campaign accusing AI firms of theft
Hundreds of writers, musicians and performers urge licensing deals instead of scraping creative work Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, REM and Jodi Picoult are among hundreds of Hollywood stars, musicians and authors backing a new campaign accusing AI companies of "theft" of their work. The
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Scarlett Johansson, REM, and other artists call for an end to AI slop and theft
A group of hundreds of artists -- including big names like Scarlett Johansson, the band R.E.M, and Cate Blanchett -- endorsed a campaign against AI slop, railing against "theft at a grand scale" from the major artificial intelligence companies. The campaign, dubbed Stealing Isn't Innovation, is
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Hollywood Stars and Visual Artists Kickstart Anti-AI Campaign
Photographers and filmmakers have joined forces with well-known Hollywood stars in a new anti-AI campaign. Stealing Isn't Innovation is organized by the Human Artistry Campaign and is backed by hundreds of public figures across film, photography, music, television, and literature. The coalition
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"Stealing isn't innovation": 800 artists sign letter against AI firms
There are around 60 ongoing lawsuits in the US where creators and rightsholders are suing AI companies. Some 800 artists have signed an open letter accusing technology companies of "theft" of copyrighted work to train their artificial intelligence (AI) models. Writers, musicians, and actors --
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Hollywood actors and artists just made a move against AI slop
The Human Artistry Campaign's "Stealing Isn't Innovation" movement launches today with over 800 signatories. Those include many Hollywood actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as writers such as Jodi Picoult and Roxane Gay, and musicians like Cyndi
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Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Bell, and Vince Gilligan among 700 Hollywood creatives behind anti-AI campaign: "Stealing our work is not innovation"
Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Bell, and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan are among 700 Hollywood creatives who have put their signature on a new anti-AI campaign. "America's creative community is the envy of the world," the statement reads. "But rather than respect and protect this valuable
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Scarlett Johansson, Chaka Khan, More Campaign Against AI 'Theft': 'Stealing Isn't Innovation'
Scarlett Johansson, Chaka Khan, and Questlove are among over 700 signees to the new "Stealing Isn't Innovation" campaign against AI exploitation in the U.S. On Thursday, "Stealing Isn't Innovation" was launched by the larger Human Artistry Campaign, which calls itself "a global coalition of more
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Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, Vince Gilligan and hundreds of movie and TV creators join anti-AI campaign
The Stealing Isn't Innovation campaign looks to protect creators' work from tech companies taking it without permission. 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
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One of the First Big Anti-AI Campaigns From Hollywood Is Launching Now
"No Kings" Protest Organizers Launch Podcast With Lemonada Media Celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are backing a campaign blasting tech companies for training generative AI tools on copyrighted works without express permission. The "Stealing Isn't
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Scarlett Johansson accuses tech companies of 'theft' to train AI | BreakingNews
Hollywood stars Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, and the band REM have signed an open letter accusing tech companies of "theft" of copyrighted artistic work to train AI models. The open letter, from the Human Artistry Campaign's Stealing Isn't Innovation
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Around 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians—including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, and R.E.M.—have signed onto a new campaign called "Stealing Isn't Innovation" against what they describe as theft at a grand scale by AI companies. The Human Artistry Campaign-backed effort demands licensing deals and opt-out rights, accusing tech firms of copying massive amounts of creative content without authorization to train generative AI models.
Around 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians have joined forces in a new AI campaign targeting what they call theft at a grand scale by technology companies. The "Stealing Isn't Innovation" initiative, launched Thursday, features prominent signatories including actors Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett, the band R.E.M., authors George Saunders and Jodi Picoult, musicians Billy Corgan and The Roots, and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan
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. The campaign statement directly accuses tech firms of using American creators' work to build AI platforms without authorization or regard for copyright law, describing the practice as "not progress" but "theft - plain and simple"3
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Source: Engadget
The Human Artistry Campaign, which organized this effort, brings together organizations including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Writers Guild of America, and SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union that went on strike in 2023 partly over AI concerns
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. According to the campaign's press release, profit-hungry technology companies have copied massive amounts of creative content online without authorization or payment to those who created it1
. This illegal intellectual property grab, they argue, fosters an information ecosystem dominated by misinformation and deepfakes, along with what they term AI slop—a vapid artificial avalanche of low-quality materials that risks model collapse and threatens America's AI superiority1
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Source: GameReactor
Rather than calling for a complete halt to using their work, the signatories advocate for what they describe as "a better way" through licensing deals and partnerships
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. The campaign specifically calls for licensing agreements, a healthy enforcement environment, and the right for artists to opt out of having their work used to train generative AI models1
. The statement acknowledges firms that have pursued this ethical AI route, with OpenAI having signed deals with content owners including Disney and the Guardian, while Warner Music Group struck a licensing deal with AI music generator Suno. Major record labels have also partnered with AI music startups to provide their catalogues for AI remixing and model training1
.Scarlett Johansson has particular reason to join this fight. The actor was pulled into the AI debate in 2024 after OpenAI's voice assistant used her vocal likeness without permission, prompting her to say she was "shocked, angered and in disbelief" by the move
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. OpenAI subsequently removed the voice from ChatGPT2
. More recently, concerns have intensified with reports that Elon Musk's Grok has been accused of creating millions of sexualized images of real people in just days2
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Source: TechRadar
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OpenAI once argued that it's "impossible" to train generative AI without copyrighted materials, since "copyright today covers virtually every sort of human expression"
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. AI companies maintain they're protected by fair use, a US legal doctrine allowing use of copyright-protected work without permission in certain circumstances4
. However, actors, musicians and authors take issue with this interpretation, particularly when they see their likenesses or work repurposed without artist compensation2
. As of last year, dozens of lawsuits had been launched in the US over AI and copyright issues4
.The campaign messages will appear in full-page ads in news outlets and on social media, aiming to shift public perception and policy around AI training data practices
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. For those watching AI development, this represents a critical juncture. While tech companies and rights owners were once on opposing sides, they're increasingly cutting licensing deals that both parties can accept1
. Digital publishers have backed a licensing standard that outlets can use to block their content from surfacing in AI search results1
. In the UK, the government faces criticism for proposing that AI firms should be allowed to use copyright-protected work without first seeking permission unless artists opt out, with a review due in March4
. The outcome of this campaign could determine whether unauthorized use of creative content continues or whether licensing agreements become the industry standard, fundamentally shaping how we train generative AI models going forward.Summarized by
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