More than 11,000 artists protest against the illegal use of AI in artistic creation

More than 11,000 of the world's leading artists, from music star Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, Hollywood actress Julianne Moore, to Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, have signed a petition, strongly opposing the illegal use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the creative arts.

The outcry reflects growing concerns about tech companies using creative works to train AI models without permission or compensation. Music, literature, visuals, and acting are being unfairly exploited, forcing artists to speak up and demand their rights.

“The unauthorized use of creative works to train AI is a serious and unfair threat to the livelihoods of the people behind these works, and it cannot be allowed,” the statement stressed.

In recent years, AI has created powerful changes in the entertainment industry. In Hollywood, studios have used AI to "resurrect" deceased stars through digital versions.

Backgrounds in movies with battle scenes are also being created using AI-controlled virtual characters, instead of using real actors. These actions have raised big questions about the future of creative arts: will human emotion and effort be replaced by cold commands?

The same thing happens in the music and literature fields, where many AI companies use copyrighted works to train AI without asking permission or paying royalties.

According to British composer Ed Newton-Rex, AI's use of these works as "training data" is not only abusive but also dehumanizing the value of human creativity.

Big names in the world of music such as Bjorn Ulvaeus (ABBA), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Robert Smith (The Cure), and many other artists have called for an immediate stop to this illegal exploitation.

In the field of literature, famous writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro and James Patterson also agree that AI should not use creative works without the author's consent.

This isn’t the first time artists have publicly spoken out against AI. Last year, prominent authors including John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and George RR Martin sued OpenAI, alleging that the company had systematically “stolen” their work to train its AI.

In addition, a proposed AI safety bill in California (USA), with support from stars like Pedro Pascal and Mark Hamill, was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom last month.

Of course, not all artists are speaking out against AI. Many have chosen to collaborate with AI companies. Recently, Meta (Facebook’s parent company) announced a partnership with actor Casey Affleck and horror studio Blumhouse to test AI-powered movie-making software.

However, for the thousands of artists who signed the above statement, AI in artistic creation remains a sensitive issue and requires minimal respect for copyright.

According to artist Bjorn Ulvaeus (ABBA), without timely protection measures, AI could become a major threat to the creative industry - a field where human emotions, talents and efforts are always key factors.