A coalition of over 400 Hollywood A-Listers, led by actress and writer Natasha Lyonne, has penned a letter to the Trump administration, urging protections against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entertainment industry. The signatories, which include notable figures such as Ben Stiller, Paul McCartney, Cate Blanchett, and Lilly Wachowski, are expressing concerns over AI’s potential impact on their jobs and livelihoods. That unified action was taken in reaction to the administration’s request for public comment on its ten pillar AI Action Plan.
The letter emphasizes the need for a contract ensuring that actors’ voices and likenesses are not used without consent to train AI models. Perhaps most importantly, it addresses fears that AI-generated content will upend established crafts in the filmmaking process. This disruption would undermine jobs and kill innovative makerspaces. The coalition is calling on the industry to be more transparent and accountable about how AI is being used.
“We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries.” – A group of more than 400 Hollywood A-listers led by Natasha Lyonne
The news of this letter arrives as fears about the infiltration of AI into all creative spaces continues to grow. Actors and writers say they’re rightfully afraid of letting tech companies take control over their creative work. Then they fear AI completely takes the human creativity out of the equation. It’s inevitable that Hollywood professionals would demand guarantees that their work won’t show up in an AI model to be used without pay or credit.
“We’ve all fought very hard for copyright laws, and nobody wants to see their work stolen to have somebody else profit from it.” – Mr. Mooser
The entertainment industry has been quick to adopt AI technologies. These technologies are fundamentally changing all areas of production, from special effects to digital character creation. Yet, this move has raised concerns across the industry workforce that AI will take over positions traditionally held by human talent. The letter aims to turn these worries into action, calling for a new framework that prioritizes tech innovation and artistic integrity.
“This technology is utterly meaningless without the artist at the centre of it; the technology needs to ultimately be subservient to the artist.” – Naeem Talukdar
The letter emphasizes the value and potential impact of employing real, diverse actors to create more entertaining and authentic experiences. Though AI exceeds human production capabilities, as discussed on stage, many contend that it will never be able to match a human performance’s subtlety and emotional depth.
“Using actual actors is the key to a lot of the drama and enjoyment that people get from video games.” – DW McCann
“People have lived experiences that AI just can’t understand.” – DW McCann
The signatories encourage a smart and fair approach to AI implementation in the industry. Further, as the other side, they utterly fail to acknowledge the importance and complexity of protecting artists’ rights in a digital age.
“We’re trying to say look, technology is going to be in everything. Let’s make sure that we try to fight as hard as we can to make sure that it’s done in the right way, and that artists aren’t run over by big companies.” – Bryn Mooser