Scarlett Johansson Leads Artists Against AI Copyright Use

On January 24, 2026, a groundswell of creative resistance surged across the United States as hundreds of high-profile artists, actors, musicians, and writers banded together in a campaign against artificial intelligence companies. Their message was unambiguous: the use of their copyrighted works to train AI systems without permission or compensation is not innovation—it is theft. The campaign, aptly named "Stealing Isn’t Innovation," has thrown a spotlight on a simmering conflict that’s been years in the making, and now, with nearly 60 lawsuits already pending in U.S. courts, the stakes for both creators and AI giants have never been higher.

According to TechRadar, the campaign's website states, “Some of the biggest tech companies … are using American creators’ work to build AI platforms without authorization or regard for copyright law. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple.” The list of signatories is a veritable who’s who of the creative world, with names like Scarlett Johansson, Cyndi Lauper, Common, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt among the hundreds who have publicly endorsed the initiative. Their collective demand is not for AI companies to halt use of creative works altogether, but rather to establish fair licensing agreements. “A better way exists,” the campaign asserts, advocating for “licensing deals and partnerships” as a responsible and ethical path forward.

This pushback comes at a time when the legal landscape is already crowded with disputes over AI’s use of creative content. As of January 22, 2026, there are about 60 ongoing lawsuits in the United States in which creators and rightsholders are suing AI companies, according to Inbox News. The heart of the matter is the way AI developers train their algorithms—often scraping vast swathes of the internet, including copyrighted art, music, literature, and film, to feed their data-hungry models. For years, artists and organizations have complained about this practice, arguing that their work is being "ingested" by AI systems without compensation or even notification.

The rhetoric from the creative community has grown increasingly urgent. As reported by Variety, the campaign’s statement reads: “Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple.” The signatories highlight the broader implications, arguing that the U.S. creative industry is not just a collection of individual artists, but a vital economic engine. “America’s creative community is the envy of the world. But rather than respect and protect this valuable asset, some of the biggest tech companies – many backed by private equity and other funders — are using American creators’ work to build AI platforms without regard for copyright law,” the statement continues. The creative sector, they point out, supports millions of jobs and fuels economic growth, all while projecting American cultural influence globally.

Scarlett Johansson, a central figure in this campaign, has long been an outspoken critic of unauthorized use of her image and performances by AI. In late 2023, she took legal action against an AI application that used her name and likeness in digital advertisements without her consent. The following year, she publicly condemned a viral clip that featured an AI-generated version of herself, and in May 2024, she criticized OpenAI for basing their GPT-4o "Sky" voice on her performance in the 2013 film Her. Johansson’s persistence underscores the deeply personal nature of these disputes for many artists—this isn’t just about money, but about control, dignity, and identity.

Cate Blanchett, another prominent signatory, has also warned of the perils of unchecked technological advancement. During the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, she told TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey that “innovation without imagination is a very, very dangerous thing.” Blanchett’s remarks reflect a growing anxiety within the creative community that AI development, if left unregulated, could erode the very foundations of authorship and artistic expression.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who joined Johansson and Blanchett in the campaign, has similarly emphasized the need for vigilance. In 2025, both he and Blanchett signed an open letter addressed to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, alongside 400 other industry leaders. The letter urged the Trump administration to uphold existing copyright laws and resist any attempts by AI companies to weaken these protections. Their message was clear: the rights of creators must not be sacrificed on the altar of technological progress.

Yet, the campaign’s tone is not entirely adversarial. The artists acknowledge that AI holds tremendous promise for society and the economy. What they seek is not to halt innovation, but to ensure it unfolds ethically. The campaign encourages AI companies to follow the example of firms that have already struck licensing deals or formed strategic partnerships with content creators. “A better way exists. It is possible to have it all. We can have advanced, rapidly developing AI and ensure creators’ rights are respected,” the statement reads.

Despite these calls for cooperation, the legal and ethical issues remain thorny. The core question is whether using copyrighted content to train AI models constitutes "fair use" or breaches copyright law. In 2023, a lawsuit was filed alleging that AI companies were violating copyright statutes by training their products on creative works without permission. The outcome of this and other lawsuits could set precedents that shape the future of AI development and copyright enforcement for years to come.

The campaign’s momentum suggests that the creative community is no longer willing to rely solely on the courts. By uniting across disciplines—film, music, literature, digital media, and beyond—artists are leveraging their collective influence to pressure both lawmakers and tech companies. Their aim is to ensure that American creativity is respected, protected, and fairly compensated in the age of artificial intelligence.

As the debate intensifies, the world watches to see whether this campaign will mark a turning point. Will AI companies come to the table and negotiate fair terms, or will the courts have the final say? For now, the message from America’s creative class is unmistakable: innovation must not come at the expense of those whose imagination makes it possible in the first place.