A new wave of protests is sweeping the creative industry as over 10,500 artists globally, including celebrated figures like Thom Yorke, Julianne Moore, and James Patterson, have signed an open letter demanding AI companies obtain permission and fairly compensate creators for using their work in AI training. The letter, backed by diverse representatives from visual arts, music, literature, and film, calls out what it terms the “unlicensed” and exploitative use of creative content to develop AI models, a practice affecting the livelihoods of thousands of artists.
This collective action joins lawsuits from visual artists like Kelly McKernan and Karla Ortiz against companies such as Stability AI, reflecting a growing sense of urgency among creators. By uniting high-profile and emerging artists, this movement has the potential to secure fair treatment across all creative industries. While AI companies defend their approach, calling AI-generated works “unique,” artists stress the need for clear copyright boundaries and transparency to ensure AI’s development respects and rewards the creative contributions of human artists.
This campaign could lead to vital legal precedents and expanded protections for artists worldwide, setting the stage for a new era of ethical AI use in the arts.