Creators Launch "Stealing Isn't Innovation" Campaign

A coalition of roughly 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians has launched a campaign called “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” to protest what it calls “theft at a grand scale” by AI firms. Signatories include authors George Saunders and Jodi Picoult, actors Cate Blanchett and Scarlett Johansson, and musicians and groups such as R.E.M., Billy Corgan, and The Roots. In a press release the group warns that tech companies have copied large amounts of creative work without authorization, producing what it dubs a flood of low-quality output — “AI slop” — and raising risks from misinformation and deepfakes to broader harms for the information ecosystem.

The effort is organized by the Human Artistry Campaign, which counts the RIAA, performers’ unions like SAG‑AFTRA, and professional sports players’ unions among its backers. The campaign plans full‑page ads and social messaging calling for licensing deals, stronger enforcement of rights, and a mechanism for creators to opt out of having their work used to train generative models. The Verge notes this comes amid federal efforts to limit state AI rules and an industry trend where some rights holders and tech companies are negotiating licensing agreements (including record labels partnering with AI music startups and publishers backing licensing standards). Vox Media, The Verge’s parent, has a licensing deal with OpenAI.

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