Over 13,500 Creatives Including Artists & Celebs Sign Warning Against AI

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Artists are raising their brushes, pens, and voices against artificial intelligence training practices, and they’re not about to let Silicon Valley paint over their rights. A petition highlighting concerns about unauthorized use of creative works has drawn support from thousands of cultural figures.

As of the time of writing, over 13,500 creatives have signed an open letter addressing the unauthorized use of artistic works in AI training datasets. The initiative, led by British composer and former Stability AI executive Ed Newton-Rex, brings together visual artists, actors, musicians, and authors united in their opposition to current AI development practices.

A remarkable roster of entertainment figures has backed the petition, including actor Julianne Moore, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, and ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus. The list extends to literary figures like Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro and bestselling author James Patterson, alongside musicians such as The Cure’s Robert Smith. Additional support comes from actors Kevin Bacon, Kate McKinnon, Melissa Joan Hart, SAG-AFTRA founder Fran Drescher, Rosario Dawson, and journalist Sidney Blumenthal.

“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,” reads the joint statement.

Newton-Rex, who now heads the nonprofit Fairly Trained, argues that current practices jeopardize the future of creative industries.

The timing coincides with ongoing legal challenges against AI companies like Stability AI and Perplexity AI, which face lawsuits over alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted content in their image and text generation models. The petition emphasizes that labeling creative works as mere “training data” diminishes their artistic value and threatens creators' ability to earn a living from their work.

This collective action also comes as governments worldwide consider regulatory frameworks for AI development. UK’s leaders, for instance, are exploring an “opt-out” system that would allow creators to prevent their works from being used without permission in AI training.

[via TechRadar, The Guardian, NBC News, The Wrap, images via various sources]