<\/p>\n
Ten thousand writers, including Richard Osman and Jeanette Winterson, deliver an empty volume to protest against unlicensed use of literary works for AI training, amid ongoing government copyright reforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Some 10,000 writers have united to produce an intentionally blank volume titled Don\u2019t Steal This Book, handing copies out at the London Book Fair to dramatise their objection to the unauthorised harvesting of books for artificial intelligence training. Prominent names involved include Richard Osman, Jeanette Winterson and Kazuo Ishiguro, and the project organisers say the empty pages are meant to draw attention to the strain that unlicensed use of copyrighted material places on authors and the publishing sector.<\/p>\n
The protest comes as ministers prepare an economic impact assessment and an update on copyright reform, a process the government has said will seek to balance protection for creators with support for innovation in AI. Critics of the consultation process have warned it appears tilted toward options that would make it easier for AI developers to rely on copyrighted works unless creators explicitly opt out.<\/p>\n
One of the most contentious proposals discussed during the consultation would allow training of AI models on copyrighted books without prior permission unless rights\u2011holders signalled that they wished to opt out; that approach has been widely criticised by authors and some ministers have since indicated it is no longer the leading option. The consultation itself produced strong pushback from the creative community, which overwhelmingly favoured maintaining or strengthening existing copyright protections rather than broadening exceptions for AI developers.<\/p>\n
On the back cover of the book the campaign states: \u201cThe UK government must not legalise book theft to benefit AI companies\u201d. Composer and campaigner Ed Newton\u2011Rex, who organised Don\u2019t Steal This Book, said \u201cThe AI industry was \u2018built on stolen work [….] taken without permission or payment\u2019\u201d and added that the technology \u201crobs\u201d creators of income. In a statement the novelist Jeanette Winterson told big tech: \u201cIf you can\u2019t actively support us (and you aren\u2019t doing that) then stop stealing our stuff. Your bots can\u2019t do what we do. Accept it and move on.\u201d Bestselling author Adam Kay added: \u201cIt\u2019s bad enough that AI has reduced customer service to incompetent chatbots and turned social media into low\u2011quality slop, let\u2019s not kill the publishing industry while we\u2019re at it. We all pay to read books, and the robots can do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
The authors\u2019 campaign echoes wider artistic opposition to unlicensed data\u2011mining by AI firms, which has fuelled multiple legal actions globally. Publishers and writers have pursued claims alleging that companies used pirated copies of books to train chatbots; recent settlements and negotiations in related cases have underscored how costly and consequential those disputes can be for the industry and for technology firms.<\/p>\n
The government has signalled it will continue to consult with creators as it finalises its position, and ministers have committed to updating parliament by 18 March 2026 on the planned economic assessment and next steps. Officials say they want a copyright framework that protects human creativity while enabling trusted innovation, but the campaign by thousands of writers is likely to increase pressure on ministers to ensure any changes do not normalise uncompensated use of creative work.<\/p>\n
Inspired by headline at:<\/strong> [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n