Hundreds of leading figures from film, television, music and literature have united behind a new campaign accusing artificial intelligence companies of exploiting creative work without permission. Among the supporters are Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett, who have joined actors, writers and musicians in backing the “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” campaign.

Nearly 800 artists sign joint statement

Launched on Thursday, the campaign has been endorsed by around 800 creative professionals, including performers, authors, bands and screenwriters. The joint statement accuses major technology companies of using American creators’ work to “build AI platforms without authorisation or regard for copyright law”.

Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are banding together with a simple message: Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple. Stealing Isn’t Innovation statement

Call for licensing deals instead of “scraping”

The statement urges AI companies to pursue licensing agreements and partnerships with the creative industries rather than scraping content from the open web. It also acknowledges companies that have taken this route, pointing to examples of licensing deals between AI developers and established media and music organisations.

Despite this, copyright remains one of the most contentious issues in artificial intelligence. The models that power chatbots and image generators rely on vast amounts of online data, much of it created by artists and writers. Creative professionals argue that their permission should be sought before such material is used — and that they should be compensated if consent is given.

“Fair use” defence and growing legal battles

AI firms have largely defended their practices by citing “fair use”, a US legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission in certain circumstances. This interpretation, however, is being challenged. As of last year, dozens of lawsuits had been filed in the United States over the use of copyrighted material to train AI systems.

Johansson controversy fuels debate

Scarlett Johansson became a central figure in the AI debate in 2024 after a voice assistant was released using a vocal likeness similar to her own. The actor said she was “shocked, angered and in disbelief” by the move. Following public backlash, the voice was later removed, but the incident intensified concerns across the industry.

Vince Gilligan: “An industrial-scale plagiarism machine”

Other signatories include Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, who last year described AI as “the world’s most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine”. Additional supporters range from musicians and novelists to screen actors and directors, reflecting the breadth of concern across creative fields.

Unions and industry groups back the campaign

The initiative has been organised by the Human Artistry Campaign and is supported by major industry bodies and unions. These include organisations representing writers, recording artists and actors — some of which have already taken strike action in recent years partly over the use of AI technologies.

UK government plans under fire

The campaign also lands amid controversy in the UK, where the government has faced criticism for proposals that would allow AI firms to use copyrighted works unless creators actively opt out. Ministers have since signalled a possible rethink, with an official review expected to be published in March.