Over 400 Hollywood creators, including big names like Guillermo del Toro, Cynthia Erivo, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, are asking the government to protect their creative work from being used by AI companies without permission.
“We believe America can lead in AI without hurting our creative industries,” they wrote to the White House last week. They argue that AI companies should follow the same rules as everyone else – get permission and pay for using other people’s work.
This letter comes as the Trump administration looks at how to keep America competitive in AI technology. Tech giants Google and OpenAI sent their own letters too, taking a different position.
The conflict centers on whether AI companies should be allowed to use books, movies, articles and other creative works to train their systems without asking creators first. Tech companies claim this should be allowed under “fair use” – a legal concept that permits limited use of copyrighted material in certain situations.
Navigating Copyright and National Security Concerns
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, even framed this as a national security issue, warning that China is catching up in AI development. In their letter to the White House, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, argued that “Applying the fair use doctrine to AI is not only a matter of American competitiveness — it’s a matter of national security.”
The San Francisco startup pointed to rapid advances by Chinese AI company DeepSeek as evidence that “America’s lead on frontier AI is far from guaranteed.” They claimed that if Chinese developers have unlimited access to data while American companies face restrictions, “the race for AI is effectively over.”
Earlier this year, President Trump announced a massive project called Stargate, where OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank will work together on building AI infrastructure in the US, potentially investing hundreds of billions of dollars.
Google took a similar stance in their letter, calling for “balanced copyright rules” and arguing that fair use exceptions “have been critical to enabling AI systems to learn from prior knowledge and publicly available data, unlocking scientific and social advances.”
But Hollywood creators aren’t buying these arguments. They point out that the arts and entertainment industry supports over 2.3 million American jobs with more than $229 billion in wages each year. They believe AI companies can afford to pay for the content they use.
“Google and OpenAI are just asking for special treatment so they can use America’s creative work for free, despite having plenty of money,” the letter states. “There is no reason to weaken or eliminate the copyright protections that have helped America flourish.”
Hollywood Creatives Demand Copyright Protection Against AI Threat
Many big names signed the letter, including Marisa Tomei, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay, Ron Howard, Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and others representing various creative roles – writers, actors, musicians, and costume designers.
This push for copyright protection comes after actors and writers fought for AI protections during their historic strikes in 2023. Various entertainment guilds have voiced support for new laws regulating AI technology. In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed bills providing more protection for digital likenesses, showing some progress on the state level.
When asked about the letter, Google responded with a statement saying they’re “confident current copyright law enables AI innovation.” OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.
While many creators remain concerned about AI’s potential impact on their livelihoods and creative rights, some have started embracing the technology, saying it helps them try out creative ideas with fewer financial risks. This highlights the complex relationship between the creative community and emerging AI technologies.
The outcome of this debate could have far-reaching implications for both the future of AI development in America and the protection of creative works that have long been a cornerstone of the nation’s cultural and economic strength.
