The revolt is being organized against Big Tech. From Scarlett Johansson to Chaka Khan, more than 700 artists and creators unite behind a scathing message: plundering protected works to feed artificial intelligences is not innovation, it is theft.
Scarlett Johansson, Chaka Khan and Questlove are among the more than 700 signatories of the new “Stealing Isn't Innovation” campaign, launched to counter abusive exploitation by artificial intelligence in the United States.
The initiative was unveiled Thursday by the Human Artistry Campaign, which describes itself as “a global coalition of more than 180 groups supporting responsible and ethical AI”. In a press release, the organization lambasted “the massive and illegal harvesting of works protected by copyright, operated by Big Tech to build and power its generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms”.
Organizers argue that unregulated AI threatens the influential U.S. creative economy, which “supports millions of jobs, fuels economic growth and projects cultural power on a global scale”. They also point out the risks of disinformation, the proliferation of deepfakes and this “artificial and tasteless avalanche of low quality materials”described as “AI mush” (AI slop).
On the “Stealing Isn't Innovation” website, just above the list of signatories, the campaign hammers home its message: “Artists, writers and creators from all backgrounds unite around a simple message: stealing our work is not innovation. This is not progress. This is theft, pure and simple. A better way exists: Through licensing agreements and partnerships, some AI companies have chosen the responsible and ethical path to obtain the content they want to use. It is possible to have it all: advanced AI in rapid development, while guaranteeing respect for the rights of creators. »
Other notable supporters include Hollywood stars like Cate Blanchett, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Fran Drescher and Kristen Bell. The music world is not left out with, among others, Jennifer Hudson, Common, Jason Isbell, Black Thought, Jill Scott, Jimmy Jam, The Roots, Cyndi Lauper, Bonnie Raitt, Ledisi, Tayla Parx, Ryan Tedder, REM, OK Go, OneRepublic and MGMT.
