Over 13,000 artists and other creatives have signed a petition raising alarm over the use of their work to train generative artificial intelligence.
Signatories include musicians Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA) and Robert Smith (The Cure), composer Max Richter, actress Julianne Moore, actor Kevin Bacon, and authors Harlan Coben and Kazuo Ishiguro.
“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted,” the creatives stressed in their petition, published on Tuesday.
According to The Guardian the petition, which remains open for more signatures, was initiated by Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and former AI industry employee. Newton-Rex claims AI companies exploit copyrighted content without payment to train algorithms, which then generate new content. He argues this practice “dehumanises” artists.
In recent years, major Hollywood studios have used AI to resurrect deceased stars, create background characters in battle scenes, and assist with scriptwriting. The music and literary sectors face similar challenges.
