More than 400 members of the entertainment industry have signed a letter pushing back on OpenAI and Google’s proposal to allow AI models to train on copyrighted content, as reported earlier by Variety. The letter claims both companies “are arguing for a special government exemption” that would allow them to “freely exploit” creative industries.
The letter, which comes in response to the Trump administration’s request for feedback on its incoming AI Action Plan, is signed by stars like Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Eviro, Cate Blanchett, Taika Waititi, Ayo Edebiri, Aubrey Plaza, Guillermo del Toro, Natasha Lyonne, Paul McCartney, and many others.
It directly addresses Google and OpenAI’s comments on the AI Action Plan, both of which argue that they need access to copyrighted materials to train their AI models and that existing laws are holding them back. In its letter, OpenAI claims applying fair use protections to AI is a “matter of national security.”
“There is no reason to weaken or eliminate the copyright protections that have helped America flourish,” the celebrities’ letter reads. “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.”
Last year, Hollywood stars banded together in support of California’s AI safety bill, which was later vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
You can read the letter in its entirety below:
