A group of 13,500 artists, including renowned names like actress Julianne Moore, members of Radiohead, and Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, along with major record labels such as Universal Music Group, have come together to protest the unauthorized use of their works in the training of generative AI systems. They have launched a petition to demand better protections.
The petition, which remains open for signatures and continues to gather support, highlights that using creative works without proper licensing poses a significant and unfair threat to the livelihoods of artists. The signees, consisting of actors, musicians, composers, writers, and screenwriters, express growing concern over the security of their intellectual property as AI technology advances. These creators argue that the unlicensed use of their works by AI companies to train models constitutes copyright infringement.
British composer and former head of audio at Stability AI, Ed Newton-Rex, who organized the petition, stated that people making a living from creative work are “deeply worried” about the situation. “There are three core resources needed for AI companies to build their models: people, computing power, and data. They spend vast amounts on the first two, sometimes paying up to a million dollars per engineer or a billion dollars per model. But when it comes to data, they expect to get it for free,” said Newton-Rex. He added that by referring to this material as “training data,” AI companies dehumanize the very essence of what they are using, which is the work of real people—writing, art, and music. Newton-Rex is also the founder of Fairly Trained, a non-profit organization that certifies responsible data usage by AI companies.
The petition is supported by the three major record labels—Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group—along with music trade associations from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world. Organizations like SAG-AFTRA, the American Federation of Musicians, and the European Writers Council have also signed on in support.
Legal battles against unauthorized AI use are also intensifying. The three major record companies have filed lawsuits against AI music companies Suno and Udio, accusing them of infringing copyrighted sound content on an “unimaginable scale.” Additionally, a group of authors, including George R.R. Martin, has sued OpenAI for similar reasons. High-profile figures like actress Scarlett Johansson and comedian Sarah Silverman have also taken legal action against AI companies for unauthorized use of their voices or work.
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing American actors, initiated the longest strike in its history last year to secure job protections against AI threats. In May, Sony Music issued a warning to over 700 AI companies, urging them not to copy its copyrighted data without permission. Warner Music made a similar statement in July.
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