Stealing Isn't Innovation Campaign
Join 800+ artists advocating against AI training without consent and compensation from major tech companies.
The 'Stealing Isn't Innovation' campaign is a collective advocacy effort backed by the Human Artistry Campaign, uniting over 800 artists, performers, and creators—including Scarlett Johansson, R.E.M., and Cate Blanchett—to oppose the unauthorized use of creative work by AI companies. This is not a traditional art opportunity but rather an artist advocacy movement addressing critical issues in the AI and creative industry landscape.
The campaign directly challenges what organizers describe as 'theft at a grand scale,' highlighting how major technology companies have copied massive amounts of creative content online without authorization or payment to original creators. The movement emphasizes that this practice fosters an information ecosystem dominated by misinformation, deepfakes, and low-quality AI-generated materials ('AI slop'), threatening both the integrity of AI models and America's competitive advantage in AI technology.
Key demands of the campaign include: mandatory licensing agreements for use of artists' work in AI training, better legal enforcement against unauthorized use, and the right for artists to opt out of having their work used to train generative AI systems. The campaign will run advertisements in news outlets and on social media platforms to amplify its message and raise awareness about the issue.
This advocacy initiative represents a significant moment for artists concerned about intellectual property rights in the age of artificial intelligence. High-profile participation from celebrities like Johansson, who famously disputed OpenAI's use of her voice, lends substantial credibility and visibility to the cause. The campaign serves as a platform for artists across disciplines to collectively voice concerns about fair compensation, consent, and creative control.