More than 700 artists, writers and creators, including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, are uniting in a new anti-AI campaign that condemns tech companies that exploit copyrighted works without permission.
“Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft, plain and simple,” the campaign says, as lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic consider new regulations for AI training data.
For Johansson, Blanchett, Gordon-Levitt and hundreds of others, the importance of competing for the writer’s seat means protecting not just their own interests, but the entire U.S. creative sector, spanning film, television, music, publishing and digital media, which “supports millions of jobs, drives economic growth and projects cultural power around the world,” the statement said. The letter says the ecosystem is threatened because AI developers often scrape creative work without permission, compensation, or transparency.
“America’s creative community is the envy of the world,” the statement said. “But instead of respecting and protecting this valuable asset, some large technology companies—many of which are backed by private equity and other funders—are building AI platforms using the work of American creators in defiance of copyright law.”
The campaign encourages companies to enter into content deals and partnerships, as some are already doing.
“There is a better way,” the statement said, arguing that responsible licensing agreements will enable advances in AI while respecting the rights of creators. “We can have it all. We can have advanced, rapidly evolving AI and ensure that the rights of creators are respected.”
Johansson has been vocal about the dangers of AI and has fought back against the recreation of her likeness for years. In February 2024, she released a statement condemning a viral video featuring AI versions of herself and other celebrities to protest Kanye West’s anti-Semitic posts. She also took legal action in November 2023 against an AI app that used her name and likeness in online advertisements without permission. And in May 2024, OpenAI was accused of using the voice from Spike Jonze’s 2013 film “Her” as inspiration for a GPT-4o chatbot called Sky.
Meanwhile, Blanchett has spoken about AI several times, including in a conversation with TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in Toronto in 2024. She said, “I think it’s very important to discuss any new technology. I think we should be very careful about it because innovation without imagination is a very dangerous thing.”
Last year, Blanchett and Gordon-Levitt were among 400 Hollywood filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians who signed an open letter to President Trump’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, urging the government not to roll back copyright protections at the behest of AI companies.
The full statement is below:
Stealing is not innovation.
America’s creative community is the envy of the world, generating jobs, economic growth, and exports.
But instead of respecting and protecting this valuable asset, some large technology companies, many backed by private equity and other funders, are building AI platforms using the work of American creators, ignoring permissions and copyright laws.
Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are united by a simple message: “Stealing our work is not innovation.” That’s not progress. That’s theft, plain and simple.
A better way exists. Some AI companies take responsible and ethical steps to obtain the content and materials they want to use, through licensing agreements and partnerships. It’s possible to have it all. We have advanced and rapidly evolving AI, and we can ensure that the rights of creators are respected.
