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A coalition of more than 400 actors, directors, writers, and other entertainment industry professionals have come together to voice their concerns about the potential loosening of copyright laws to benefit artificial intelligence companies. In an open letter addressed to the U.S. government, the group is urging policymakers to uphold current copyright protections, warning that weakening these laws could have significant negative impacts on the creative industries.
The group, led by actress Natasha Lyonne, includes high-profile names including Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay, Bette Midler, Paul McCartney, and Cate Blanchett. It specifically responds to recent proposals from tech giants OpenAI and Google, who have both submitted recommendations to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) suggesting that current copyright laws should be relaxed under “fair use” to allow AI training on publicly available and copyrighted material. Google also proposed exceptions like “text and data mining” to avoid lengthy licensing processes.
The concern: AI training on copyrighted work
Hollywood’s concern is rooted in its significant role in the U.S. economy. The entertainment sector supports more than 2.3 million jobs and generates over $229 billion in wages annually. The letter warns that relaxing copyright laws could undermine these industries’ economic and cultural power, which has been built on strong intellectual property protections over the past 250 years.
“America didn’t become a cultural powerhouse by accident,” the letter states. “Our success stems directly from our fundamental respect for IP and copyright that rewards creative risk-taking by talented and hardworking Americans from every state and territory.”
The stakes: More than just movies
The letter emphasizes that weakening copyright law wouldn’t only affect actors or musicians — it would set a dangerous precedent across all knowledge-based fields including photographers, scientists, doctors, architects, and software developers.
“This issue goes well beyond the entertainment industry, as the right to train AI on all copyright-protected content impacts all of America’s knowledge industries,” the letter reads. “These professions are the core of how we discover, learn, and share knowledge as a society and as a nation.”
The pushback from Hollywood reflects growing concerns over AI’s role in the entertainment industry. In 2023, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union went on strike for 118 days, partly over fears that AI could replace human performers or use their digital replicas without consent or fair compensation. The union ultimately secured protections in its new contract, but the battle over AI’s role in creative work is far from over.
Freedom to innovate, but not at the expense of ethics
The Biden-era AI rules — which had included ethical guidelines and civil rights protections — were rolled back earlier this year by President Trump, who now backs rapid private-sector investment in AI. That includes a $500 billion push to expand U.S. AI infrastructure and stay competitive with countries like China.
But Hollywood wants to clarify one thing: innovation shouldn’t come at the cost of exploitation. The letter was submitted as part of a public comment process on the administration’s U.S. AI Action Plan. While the original deadline has passed, organizers say they are still gathering additional support.
Read about how some Oscar-nominated films used artificial intelligence for enhancements and about how McCartney recently took a stand against AI with regards to U.K. copyright law.