Famous creatives flock to sign open letter protesting 'unethical' AI

An open letter warning of the increasing threat of AI to creative careers has been signed by over 11,500 professionals including notable actors, authors and musicians. Criticising the "unlicensed use of creative work" for training AI models, the letter is irrevocable proof that the rise in AI technology is an ever-pressing issue that concerns creatives of all statures.

While AI has been used for years, the unpermitted use of copyrighted materials to train learning-based models has been a highly contentious topic in the wake of the recent SAG-AFTRA strikes. With legal and ethical concerns mounting in the wake of AI's rise, the open letter is an important step in raising awareness of the issue, hopefully leading to stricter regulation and increased transparency.

Consisting of one short yet powerful statement, the letter reads: “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.” Published by Fairly Trained – an organisation advocating for ethical data training of AI models –the bold statement has already garnered mass support from creatives across the industry.

Among the signatures are musicians AURORA, Robert Smith and Thom Yorke, alongside actors Kevin Bacon, Kate McKinnon and Julianne Moore. Notable authors include Ann Patchett, Kazuo Ishiguro and James Patterson while industry professionals such as the CEO of Hatchette Book Group join the ranks.

Last week we saw major AI updates from Adobe MAX, Meta's Movie Gen launch and Tesla's controversial We, Robot event, in one of the biggest weeks for AI in recent times. While this proves that AI innovation is not set to cease anytime soon, it's important that ethical practice is at the forefront of development and that we continue to spotlight the voices of creatives advocating for fair training. For more insight into how creatives feel about AI, check out what industry pros think about the future of AI art.

Find out more about Fairly Trained's Statement on AI training.