Over 700 artists, writers, actors and American musicians, including Cate Blanchett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, joined in a new anti-AI campaign called Steal Isn’t Innovation, which denounces tech companies that train AI and exploit improperly copyrighted works. The campaign, promoted by the Human Artistry Campaign, argues that this “large-scale theft” is not true innovation but only a violation of copyright and copyright laws.
The importance of this campaign is to protect creativity in its most diverse forms, combining American artists from various sectors: from cinema to television, from publishing to music. Among the faces of the campaign are musicians such as R.E.M., Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and The Roots. Nicolas Cage said in an interview: “ Artificial Intelligence is a nightmare for me. It is inhuman.” Like him, Tim Burton went out against AI, saying: “Take something from your soul, it can take what you did, Batman or anything, and culturally appropriate it.”.
The movement, however, is not necessarily against artificial intelligence, rather against its improper use, and urges companies to enter into new controlled licensing agreements and regulations on AI training, as other companies have already done. Cate Blanchett said that “innovation without imagination is a very, very dangerous thing.”
“It’s a better way” reads in the statement, also signed by actress Scarlett Johansson, known for giving voice to the AI protagonist of the film Her by Spike Jonze. In 2024, more than 400 artists including Gordon-Levitt signed an open letter to the Trump White House’s Office for Scientific and Technological Policy, urging the administration not to revoke copyright protection for artificial intelligence companies. The communiqué continues to warn against a future dominated by disinformation and deepfake of low quality: “We must protect ourselves from the predatory use of artificial intelligence that steals voices and likeness; we can have artificial intelligence in rapid development and at the same time guarantee the respect of the rights of creators.”.
The article Rubare is not innovation. The campaign of American artists against AI comes from SentieriSelvaggi.
