A-List Artists Declare War on AI 'Theft'

A formidable coalition of America's most celebrated artists, musicians, and writers has launched an unprecedented campaign against the technology industry. The group, which includes Scarlett Johansson, the iconic band R.E.M., and Vince Gilligan, is demanding an immediate halt to what they describe as the systematic theft of creative work to fuel artificial intelligence development.

The movement, branded under the banner Stealing isn't Innovation, represents a critical turning point in the ongoing debate over AI, copyright, and the value of human artistry. With over 700 prominent signatories, the campaign directly challenges the core business practices of the world's most powerful tech companies, accusing them of exploiting American creativity for profit without consent or compensation.

The campaign's central argument is that major technology firms, often backed by vast private equity funds, are engaged in an illegal intellectual property grab. According to the group's official statement, these companies are using the entirety of America's creative output—from blockbuster films and hit songs to novels and journalism—to build their AI platforms, all without authorization from the creators.

This practice, the artists contend, fundamentally disrespects the economic engine that is the American creative community. The statement highlights that this community is the 'envy of the world' and a significant source of jobs, economic growth, and cultural exports. Instead of protecting this valuable national asset, the campaign argues, tech companies are cannibalizing it.

Big Tech is trying to change the law so they can keep stealing American artistry to build their AI businesses — without authorization and without paying the people who did the work. That is wrong; it’s un-American, and it’s theft on a grand scale.

Beyond the economic and legal arguments, the coalition warns of a more insidious consequence: the degradation of our information ecosystem. The group asserts that the 'illegal intellectual property grab' has directly led to a digital world saturated with misinformation, dangerous deepfakes, and what they colorfully term 'AI slop.'

This term refers to the 'vapid artificial avalanche of low-quality materials' that threatens to drown out genuine human creativity. The artists believe this flood of derivative, machine-generated content not only devalues their work but also poses a direct threat to America's standing in the global AI race. By prioritizing speed and profit over quality and ethics, they argue, the current approach undermines the very innovation it claims to champion.

• A flood of low-quality, derivative content
• Rise of convincing misinformation and deepfakes
• Devaluation of human-created art and journalism
• Threat to America's international AI competitiveness

The concerns raised by this campaign are not theoretical; they reflect real-world incidents that have already sparked controversy. The issue has become deeply personal for many creators, who have seen their own likenesses and work repurposed in ways they never intended or approved.

For instance, Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to this fight. In 2024, she threatened legal action against OpenAI after the company released a ChatGPT voice assistant that she claimed effectively cloned her voice. More recently, a report from The New York Times accused Elon Musk's Grok AI of generating millions of sexualized images of real people in just a matter of days. These examples underscore the urgent need for guardrails and ethical guidelines, according to the coalition.

The campaign's goal is not to halt technological progress, but to redirect it. The group is explicitly calling on AI companies to abandon their current practices and instead take 'the responsible, ethical route.' This path, they argue, must be built on a foundation of licensing and partnerships.

By working with creators, licensing content legally, and ensuring artists are compensated for the use of their work, the industry can build a future where AI and human creativity coexist and even thrive together. The artists' position is clear: innovation cannot be built on a foundation of theft. The campaign serves as a powerful ultimatum to an industry at a crossroads, demanding that it choose collaboration over exploitation.

America’s creative community is the envy of the world and creates jobs, economic growth and exports.

This coordinated effort by over 700 of the nation's most influential creative voices marks a significant escalation in the battle over AI and intellectual property. It signals that the creative community is organized, united, and prepared to fight for the value of their work in the digital age.

The movement's core message is that the current model of AI development is unsustainable and unethical. As the debate moves from tech blogs to the mainstream, the pressure is mounting on tech giants to fundamentally change how they operate. The future of AI may well depend on whether the industry chooses to listen to the very creators whose work makes its technology possible.