Recently, over 400 Hollywood stars, including Ben Stiller, Cate Blanchett, and Cynthia Erivo, jointly sent an open letter to the Trump administration, urging for the protection of copyrights in the film, music, and other creative industries, and resisting the encroachment of tech giants and artificial intelligence (AI). This letter comes at a time when Trump signed an executive order in January, pledging to eliminate "redundant government controls on AI" to enhance "American leadership in the global AI arena."
In the open letter, the stars strongly oppose the acquisition of extensive copyrighted content by tech companies like Google and OpenAI for AI training. They argue that weakening copyright protection and allowing tech companies to "exploit America's creative and intellectual industries" would threaten "the world's most vibrant creative economy." They emphasize that the American entertainment industry supports 2.3 million jobs, generates approximately $230 billion in wages annually, and plays a crucial role in supporting America's democratic influence and international soft power.
In 2023, the use of AI triggered a months-long strike that severely impacted the American entertainment industry. Writers and actors ultimately reached an agreement with production companies, establishing strict AI safeguards to ensure that creators' consent and compensation are obtained when their work is used in AI model training. These measures include protection for the use of movie scripts and the likenesses of actors used to build computer-generated characters.
However, with Trump running for president again, the AI issue has resurfaced. The Hollywood stars' letter points out that this issue isn't just about the entertainment industry; it impacts America's entire intellectual property sector. They believe that allowing AI to train on all copyrighted content will have a profound impact on American innovation and competitiveness.
Currently, organizers are continuing to collect signatures, hoping for stronger policy protection.
Key Points:
📜 Over 400 Hollywood stars jointly sent a letter to the Trump administration, demanding protection of film and television copyrights and resisting AI encroachment.
💼 The letter states that weakening copyright protection would threaten 2.3 million jobs and America's creative economy.
🤖 AI usage led to a large-scale strike in the American entertainment industry in 2023, resulting in a strict AI protection agreement.
