Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney, and more urge Trump to protect copyright from AI

More than 400 Hollywood creative leaders signed an open letter to the Trump White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, urging the administration not to roll back copyright protections at the behest of AI companies. The letter was a response to submissions from OpenAI and Google, who claimed that U.S. copyright law should allow AI companies to use copyrighted works for training without permission from rights holders.

Over 400 Hollywood leaders urge Trump administration to protect copyright laws against AI threats

The signatories, which include prominent figures like Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Erivo, Cate Blanchett, and Paul McCartney, expressed concern that AI companies aim to undermine the economic and cultural strengths of America’s creative industries by weakening copyright protections. According to the letter, these protections are vital for films, television shows, artworks, music, and other creative works that are essential for the livelihoods of millions in the industry.

The letter emphasizes that weakening copyright protections is a broader issue that affects all knowledge industries, threatening the rights of writers, publishers, photographers, scientists, and other professionals who rely on intellectual property. The signatories assert that access to creative content should not require government-mandated exemptions and argue that AI companies should negotiate licenses just like any other industry.

Among the notable signatories are filmmakers, writers, actors, musicians, and other professionals. The letter highlights the importance of America’s arts and entertainment industry, which supports over 2.3 million American jobs and generates more than $229 billion in wages annually. It states, “America didn’t become a global cultural powerhouse by accident,” attributing the nation’s success to respect for intellectual property rights.

OpenAI’s submission claimed that the fair use doctrine in U.S. copyright law promotes AI development and suggested that the government take steps to protect American AI leadership and national security. Google’s response advocated for “balanced copyright rules,” which they argue are essential for allowing AI systems to learn and innovate using publicly available data.

The complete letter also stresses that the creative community stands ready to discuss and collaborate on how to best maintain the balance between promoting innovation while protecting creators’ rights. The signatories continue to welcome support for their stance on maintaining existing copyright frameworks as vital to the future of American cultural influence abroad.

Here is the letter from the Hollywood signatories:

Hello Friends & Strangers. As you may be aware there has recently been a recommendation by OpenAI & Google to the current US Administration that is gaining alarming traction to remove all legal protections & existing guardrails surrounding copyright law protections for the training of Artificial Intelligence. This rewriting of established law in favor of so-called “Fair Use” was in need of an initial response by 11:59 PM ET Saturday, so we have submitted an initial letter with the signatories we had at that time. We are now continuing to accept signatures for an amendment to our initial statement. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think may be invested in the ethical maintenance of their intellectual property. You can add your name and whatever guilds or unions or description of self you feel appropriate, but please do not edit the letter itself. Thank you so much for kicking this out wide on a Saturday Night!

Hollywood’s Response to the Administration’s Artificial Intelligence Action Plan and necessity that copyright law be upheld.

We, the members of America’s entertainment industry — representing an intersection of cinematographers, directors, producers, actors, writers, studios, production companies, musicians, composers, costume, sound & production designers, editors, gaffers, union and Academy Members, and other industrious, creative content professionals – submit this unified statement in response to the Administration’s request for input on the AI Action Plan.

We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries. America’s arts and entertainment industry supports over 2.3M American jobs with over $229Bn in wages annually, while providing the foundation for American democratic influence and soft power abroad. But AI companies are asking to undermine this economic and cultural strength by weakening copyright protections for the films, television series, artworks, writing, music, and voices used to train AI models at the core of multi-billion dollar corporate valuations.

Make no mistake: this issue goes well beyond the entertainment industry, as the right to train AI on all copyright-protected content impacts all of America’s knowledge industries. When tech and AI companies demand unfettered access to all data and information, they’re not just threatening movies, books, and music, but the work of all writers, publishers, photographers, scientists, architects, engineers, designers, doctors, software developers and all other professionals who work with computers and generate intellectual property. These professions are the core of how we discover, learn, and share knowledge as a society and as a nation. This issue is not just about AI leadership or about economics and individual rights, but about America’s continued leadership in creating and owning valuable intellectual property in every field.

It is clear that Google (valued at $2Tn) and OpenAI (valued at over $157Bn) are arguing for a special government exemption so they can freely exploit America’s creative and knowledge industries, despite their substantial revenues and available funds. There is no reason to weaken or eliminate the copyright protections that have helped America flourish. Not when AI companies can use our copyrighted material by simply doing what the law requires: negotiating appropriate licenses with copyright holders — just as every other industry does. Access to America’s creative catalog of films, writing, video content, and music is not a matter of national security. They do not require a government-mandated exemption from existing U.S. copyright law.

America didn’t become a global cultural powerhouse by accident. Our success stems directly from our fundamental respect for IP and copyright that rewards creative risk-taking by talented and hardworking Americans from every state and territory. For nearly 250 years, U.S. copyright law has balanced creator’s rights with the needs of the public, creating the world’s most vibrant creative economy. We recommend that the American AI Action Plan uphold existing copyright frameworks to maintain the strength of America’s creative and knowledge industries, as well as American cultural influence abroad.

Featured image credit: Nathan DeFiesta/Unsplash