Ava Duvernay, Janelle Monáe, Michaela Coel, and More Than 400 Hollywood Names Urge Trump Not to Let AI Companies ‘Exploit’ Copyrighted Works

Over 400 Hollywood creatives, including actors and directors, have signed an open letter calling for the government not to scale back on copyright laws related to artificial intelligence. Variety reported that the list included names such as Ava Duvernay, Janelle Monáe, Michaela Coel, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and hundreds of others.

“We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” they said in the letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy last week.

Why are Hollywood creatives writing a letter to the government about AI?

The letter was sent in response to the Trump administration’s petition for public comment on the White House’s AI Action Plan, which intends to tighten and extend the country’s position in the AI industry. Google and OpenAI both wrote their own letters.

The letter states that Google and OpenAI “are arguing for a special government exemption so they can freely exploit America’s creative and knowledge industries, despite their substantial revenues and available funds. There is no reason to weaken or eliminate the copyright protections that have helped America flourish.”

Actors have spoken out against the growth of AI, as they are concerned that it would hinder their creative work. During the 2024 SAG-AFTRA, one of the significant issues in union negotiations with major production companies was that the parties could not agree on AI regulations in the film industry, according to CBS News.

The union wanted film and TV producers to require consent from actors to create and use their digital models. Additionally, they fought for actors to be paid at their agreed rate – even if a digital model of them performs the role.

SAG-AFTRA and its represented actors won the deal, which includes consent and compensation rules when AI is used in films and TV shows. 

What have Tech companies said in their letters?

Both OpenAI and Google wrote to the Office of Science and Technology Policy this month detailing an AI action plan, arguing that it would benefit AI developers to have the opportunity to use copyrighted materials to train AI.

In its OSTP submission, Open AI stated that the U.S. copyright code’s fair use doctrine “promotes AI development” and said it ” agrees with the Trump Administration that AI creates prosperity and freedom worth fighting for—especially for younger generations whose future will be shaped by how this Administration approaches AI.

Google said, “A pro-innovation approach that protects national security and ensures that everyone benefits from AI is essential to realizing AI’s transformative potential and ensuring that America’s lead endures.”

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