British stars join generative AI protest against ‘unlicensed use’ of works

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scottish author Sir Ian Rankin, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke have joined thousands of musicians, actors, and authors in signing an open letter protesting the use of creative works for training generative artificial intelligence. The statement – also supported by Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus, Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sir Kazuo Ishiguro – warns of the “major, unjust threat” to artists’ livelihoods. Other British signatories include author Malorie Blackman and singer Billy Bragg, while Hollywood stars include Footloose actor Kevin Bacon, Lord Of The Rings star Sean Astin, Oscar-winner F Murray Abraham, Barbie star Kate McKinnon and Sabrina The Teenage Witch actress Melissa Joan Hart. “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted,” the open letter, organised by British composer and former AI executive Ed Newton-Rex, said.