More than 420 high-profile actors, directors, and creatives have signed an open letter opposing efforts by major tech companies to weaken copyright protections for AI training. The campaign, led by actress Natasha Lyonne, draws support from industry heavyweights including Bette Midler, Paul Simon, Ben Stiller, and Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett.
The letter directly challenges recent proposals from OpenAI and Google that asked the government to remove “all legal protections and existing guardrails surrounding copyright law protections for the training of Artificial Intelligence,” according to CBS News.
Tech giants argue that exceptions to copyright laws would allow AI developers to use “copyrighted, publicly available material for AI training without significantly impacting rights holders,” but entertainment industry professionals see it as a direct threat to their creative work and livelihoods.
A $229 Billion Industry at Stake
The letter emphasizes that the entertainment industry supports more than 2.3 million jobs in the U.S. and pays over $229 billion in wages annually. “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,” the signatories stated.
This pushback comes at a critical time as the Trump administration develops a new national AI plan. In January, President Trump repealed former President Biden’s executive order on AI safety and announced plans to invest up to $500 billion in private sector AI infrastructure to compete with China.
Vice President JD Vance has already warned European countries against “overregulation” of AI, stating that excessive rules could “kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off,” BBC News reports.
The “National Security” Argument
Tech companies are framing their request as a matter of national importance, arguing they can’t compete with China under existing U.S. copyright laws. Google and OpenAI want the government to designate copyrighted works as “fair use” for AI training, claiming that without such exceptions, America will lose the AI race to global competitors.
However, content creators counter that America’s global AI leadership “must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” as stated in their letter to the administration.
Hollywood writer’s strike is just accelerating the AI spend for entertainment companies. pic.twitter.com/jmiFpDbIRs
— AI Breakfast (@AiBreakfast) August 17, 2023
Hollywood Already Grappling with AI
The battle isn’t merely theoretical. AI has already entered mainstream filmmaking, with Oscar-nominated films like “Emilia Perez” and “The Brutalist” using the technology to alter voices. Adrian Brody won the Academy Award for best actor in “The Brutalist,” a performance that utilized AI to fine-tune his Hungarian accent.
Major Hollywood figures are exploring AI’s creative potential. Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo reportedly plan to invest $400 million to develop AI tools for filmmakers. Meanwhile, companies like Moonvalley are attempting to create “ethical” AI video generators trained only on licensed content.
“Artists should be at the table,” says Bryn Mooser, co-founder of Moonvalley, who believes it’s better to build tools for filmmakers rather than get “rolled over by big tech companies.” His company created the AI generator tool Marey by paying for footage from filmmakers with their consent, as reported by Forbes.
Hard-Won Protections
This isn’t the first time Hollywood has fought to protect itself from technological disruption. During the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike in 2024, actors won key protections including requirements for consent and fair compensation when AI is used to create digital replicas.
California Governor Gavin Newsom reinforced these protections by signing two bills into law that require labor contracts to specify AI-generated replicas of actors and ban commercial use of digital replicas of deceased performers without consent from their estates.
DW McCann, one of many actors who recently picketed outside Disney Character Voices against the use of AI in video games, emphasized the human element that technology can’t replicate: “Using actual actors is the key to a lot of the drama and enjoyment that people get from video games. People have lived experiences that AI just can’t understand.”
Uncertain Future
As AI increasingly infiltrates film, television, and gaming, many industry workers remain deeply concerned about their future. The technology continues to advance rapidly, potentially threatening jobs across the creative sector.
Naeem Talukdar, co-founder of Moonvalley, captured the heart of the debate with a simple question: “What kind of future are we building when our tools are trained on stolen voices?” As competing visions of AI’s role in entertainment emerge, Hollywood’s fight to protect its creative rights appears far from over.
