Hollywood Creatives Oppose AI Copyright Expansion Proposals

More than 400 prominent Hollywood creatives—including actors, musicians, and directors—have signed an open letter urging the Trump administration to reject recent proposals from OpenAI and Google that would expand AI training on copyrighted works. The letter argues that the proposals would allow tech companies to "freely exploit" creative industries without proper licensing or compensation.

A Direct Response to AI Industry Proposals

The letter directly addresses submissions by OpenAI and Google to the White House’s AI Action Plan. Both companies advocated for expanded fair use protections, which would allow them to train AI models on copyrighted content without needing permission from rights holders.

OpenAI framed these exemptions as a "matter of national security," suggesting that limiting access could hinder U.S. competitiveness against nations like China.

Google argued that the existing fair use framework already supports AI innovation and warned that requiring individual licenses would slow progress.

High-Profile Creatives Demand Licensing Agreements

Signatories include major figures such as Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Paul McCartney, Taika Waititi, and Aubrey Plaza, among many others. The letter stresses that AI companies should negotiate appropriate licenses, as is standard practice in other industries, rather than seeking exemptions that could undermine intellectual property protections.

"AI companies could simply negotiate appropriate licenses with copyright holders—just as every other industry does."

Impact Beyond Hollywood

The letter stresses that the stakes extend far beyond the entertainment industry. Weakening copyright protections could undermine the livelihoods of writers, publishers, scientists, software developers, architects, doctors, and other professionals who generate intellectual property. The signatories argue that this issue affects the entire U.S. knowledge economy—not just creative sectors.

According to the New York Post, over 60 newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital recently published a unified editorial condemning the AI industry's proposals, warning they could devastate creative sectors if companies are allowed to scrape content without proper licensing or compensation.

Rebutting AI Industry Claims

The letter also rebuffs OpenAI’s assertion that unfettered access to creative works is a "matter of national security." Instead, it points out that major AI companies like Google and OpenAI, valued at $2 trillion and $157 billion respectively, have ample resources to license content rather than relying on government exemptions.

A Call to Uphold Copyright Traditions

The letter frames the issue as a defense of America’s long-standing copyright framework. For nearly 250 years, these protections have fueled U.S. leadership in global culture and innovation. The signatories urge policymakers to maintain these guardrails to safeguard not only creative industries but America’s broader economic and cultural influence.

Protecting Jobs and Economic Impact

In addition to defending intellectual property rights, the open letter highlights the broader economic importance of the U.S. arts and entertainment industry. The signatories point out that the sector supports over 2.3 million jobs and generates more than $229 billion in wages annually. They warn that weakening copyright protections for AI training could have far-reaching consequences—not only threatening the livelihoods of creatives but also undermining a key pillar of the U.S. economy.

AI Values Clash

This growing conflict reflects a deeper divide between Silicon Valley's fast-paced "move fast and iterate" approach and Hollywood’s long-established intellectual property frameworks. While the outcome of this fight may have limited immediate enforcement impact—given that AI companies globally are already ingesting large datasets without explicit copyright protections—the debate is shaping up to be a symbolic battleground over control of creative content in the AI era.

What This Means

The open letter underscores mounting tensions between the AI industry and creative sectors, raising critical questions about how intellectual property rights should be enforced in the age of artificial intelligence. While tech companies argue for fair use protections to fuel innovation, creatives emphasize the need for licensing and compensation structures that respect the value of original work.

As the debate continues, the decisions made by policymakers could set important precedents for how content creators, publishers, and AI developers coexist—and whether the balance between innovation and rights protection will shift in favor of one side or the other.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.