Over 700 industry figures, including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, support a movement calling for strict licensing of AI training datasets to protect creators’ rights amidst growing regulatory scrutiny.
More than seven hundred creators from film, music, publishing and other arts have backed a campaign accusing major technology firms of harvesting copyrighted work to build artificial intelligence systems without permission. Prominent signatories include Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who joined a broad coalition of writers, directors, musicians and visual artists in the initiative. (Sources: The Guardian, TheWrap)
The movement, launched under the banner “Stealing Isn’t Innovation”, insists that taking creators’ output to train AI models without consent amounts to theft. “Stealing our work is not innovation. It is not progress. It is plainly and simply theft,” the statement declares, urging companies to pursue licensing arrangements rather than unlicensed scraping. (Sources: The Guardian, TheWrap)
Supporters say the dispute goes beyond individual grievances and touches the legal and regulatory landscape now being weighed by policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic. According to reports, the campaign comes as legislators in the United States and Europe examine how copyright law should apply to AI training datasets and whether new rules or enforcement are needed. (Sources: The Guardian, Variety AU)
Backers argue the potential harm is systemic, warning that the creative industries underpin significant employment and cultural influence and are at risk if developers continue to repurpose works without transparency, remuneration or consent. The campaign frames its demands as both a defence of authorship and a defence of an entire economic ecosystem that, they say, drives growth and exports cultural power worldwide. (Sources: Variety AU, India Today)
Organisers are calling for ethical content deals and partnerships between tech firms and rights holders, pointing to existing agreements as models for how AI can advance while respecting creators’ rights. The Human Artistry Campaign, which helped coordinate the drive, says licensing deals are a viable route to reconcile innovation with intellectual property protections. (Sources: TheWrap, The Independent, The Guardian)
Scarlett Johansson has been a visible critic of AI’s unauthorised use of celebrity likeness and voice. Her legal team pursued a company that ran an AI-generated advertisement using her name and image, and she publicly condemned viral videos that used synthetic depictions of public figures. Reports also note her objections to an AI chatbot whose voice drew inspiration from her role in the film Her. (Sources: The Guardian 2023, India Today)
Cate Blanchett has repeatedly weighed in on the debate about technology and creativity, saying public discussion is essential and warning that “innovation without imagination is very, very dangerous.” Blanchett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt previously joined hundreds of other industry figures in an open letter urging the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy not to erode copyright protections at the behest of AI companies. (Sources: The Guardian, The Independent, TheWrap)
The campaign brings together a wide cross-section of cultural figures , from filmmakers and actors to musicians and authors , and represents a coordinated push to compel tech firms to negotiate licences or face renewed regulatory scrutiny. Its organisers say such a direction would allow AI to develop on a foundation that recognises creative labour and legal rights. (Sources: The Independent, India Today)
Source Reference Map
Inspired by headline at: [1]
Sources by paragraph:
- Paragraph 1: [2], [4]
- Paragraph 2: [2], [4]
- Paragraph 3: [2], [6]
- Paragraph 4: [6], [5]
- Paragraph 5: [4], [7], [2]
- Paragraph 6: [3], [5]
- Paragraph 7: [2], [7], [4]
- Paragraph 8: [7], [5]
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The campaign was launched on 22 January 2026, with coverage appearing in major outlets like The Guardian and Variety on 22 and 23 January 2026. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/22/scarlett-johansson-and-cate-blanchett-back-campaign-accusing-ai-firms-of-theft?utm_source=openai)) The information is current and not recycled from older sources. However, some details about Scarlett Johansson’s previous actions against AI misuse date back to 2024, which may indicate partial recycling of older material.
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
Direct quotes from the campaign statement are consistent across sources. However, the exact wording of Scarlett Johansson’s previous statements from 2024 and 2023 cannot be independently verified, as they are not directly accessible in the provided sources. This raises concerns about the accuracy and authenticity of these quotes.
Source reliability
Score:
9
Notes:
The lead sources, The Guardian and Variety, are reputable major news organisations. However, some supporting sources, such as India Today and Yahoo, are less established and may have lower credibility. Additionally, the article includes a significant amount of aggregated content from other sources, which may affect its originality and reliability.
Plausability check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims about the campaign and its signatories are plausible and align with known positions of the individuals involved. However, the lack of direct access to the campaign’s official statement and the inability to independently verify some quotes raise concerns about the completeness and accuracy of the information.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article provides current and plausible information from reputable sources. However, the inability to independently verify some quotes and the reliance on aggregated content from less independent sources introduce uncertainties. These factors reduce the overall confidence in the article’s accuracy and reliability.
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