LONDON – Generative AI models are built on the collective work of countless people. Behind every AI-generated response lurks a vast, invisible workforce — writers, singers, journalists, poets, coders, illustrators, photographers and filmmakers — whose creations have been used without permission or compensation. These creators have never met, let alone billed, the Silicon Valley titans profiting from their labor.
Unsurprisingly, many are now speaking out and demanding meaningful reform. In October 2024, more than 10,000 actors, musicians and authors signed a public statement warning that unlicensed use of their work to train generative AI poses a “major, unjust threat” to their livelihoods and insisting it must not be permitted. Within months, the number of signatories had risen to 50,000.
Instead of tightening copyright protections, as many propose, we should treat creative knowledge as a public good and collectively fund its production. Like roads, vaccines and public broadcasting, it should be accessible to everyone and paid for by everyone.
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