Home / Arts and Entertainment / Authors Publish Empty Books to Protest AI 'Theft'
Authors Publish Empty Books to Protest AI 'Theft'
10 Mar
Summary
- Nearly 10,000 authors published an empty book to protest AI training.
- Critics argue Big Tech's claims of economic growth from weakened copyright are false.
- Government reportedly delaying decisions on AI copyright rules after creative backlash.
Nearly 10,000 authors, including prominent figures, have published an empty book titled 'Don't Steal This Book.' This symbolic act protests the use of their copyrighted works by tech companies to train artificial intelligence models without permission or payment.
Organizers state that the AI industry is built on stolen creative work, which directly harms creators by competing with them and threatening their livelihoods. They urge the government to protect UK creatives and reject legalizing the theft of intellectual property by AI companies.
Analysis commissioned by industry groups suggests that Big Tech's economic projections regarding weakened copyright law are 'fantasy economics.' These reports allegedly ignore significant barriers to AI growth, such as skills shortages and energy constraints, and fail to demonstrate that weakening copyright would benefit the UK economy.
Following backlash from creatives, the UK government is reportedly planning to postpone decisions on contentious AI copyright rules. This delay comes after a consultation period did not yield a favored option for managing AI's interaction with existing copyright legislation.
