Association of American Publishers joins 10,000-plus creators condemning tech companies' use of copyrighted works for AI training; coalition calls on governments, courts to uphold copyright principles

Today, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) joined forces with more than 10,000 creators and coalition partners, including authors, musicians, actors, artists, and photographers, to condemn the theft of creative and intellectual authorship by big tech companies for use in their Generative AI models.  In fact, these consumer-facing models and tools would not exist without the books, newspapers, songs, performances, and other invaluable human expressions that were—and continue to be—copied, ingested, and regenerated in blatant disregard of the law.

This is a crucial time for AI policy development globally, as authors and their publishers call on their governments and courts to uphold the most fundamental of copyright principles: Reproducing works of authorship, and creating derivatives of them, requires the clear consent of those who created, invested in, and otherwise made them possible in the first place.

“The Association of American Publishers is proud to stand with thousands of creators and partner organizations to highlight that human authorship is the basis of Generative AI,” said Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO.   “What is true is that creators operate in service to a well-read, informed, and inspired global public, not the unsanctioned, unregulated profits of big tech companies.   It goes without saying that technology collaborations are a key part of publishing, but they are built on lawful licenses and respect, not a land grab.”

AAP | The Association of American Publishers represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize and protect works of authorship and the creative, intellectual, and financial investments that make them possible. As essential participants in local markets and the global economy, our members invest in and inspire the exchange of ideas, transforming the world we live in one word at a time. Find us online at www.publishers.org or on Twitter and Instagram at @AmericanPublish.