WGA calls on Hollywood studios to combat AI plagiarism

[kennedy felton]

The Writers Guild of America is urging Hollywood studios to take immediate action against the growing issue of AI plagiarism.

The WGA East and West sent a letter to CEOs of major studios, including Netflix, Walt Disney Co., NBCUniversal, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The union claims tech companies like Apple and Meta have “looted” the studios’ intellectual property while the studios failed to take action.

“After this industry has spent decades fighting piracy, it cannot stand idly by while tech companies steal full libraries of content for their own financial gain,” reads part of the letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

The letter also cites an article by The Atlantic published in November, reporting that data from thousands of movies and TV episodes had been used to train AI models without permission.

“They have allowed tech companies to plunder entire libraries without permission or compensation. The studios’ inaction has harmed WGA members,” the letter continues, accusing studios of allowing tech companies to plunder entire libraries without permission or compensation.

Meanwhile, AI continues to make inroads in Hollywood. Back in September, Lionsgate—the studio behind franchises like “John Wick” and “Hunger Games”—announced a partnership with the AI video startup “Runway AI.” The technology is being marketed as a tool to help filmmakers and creative teams enhance their work by generating cinematic visuals.

However, creatives have seen recent wins in their legal battles against AI. In August, a federal court allowed a copyright infringement claim against AI art generators to move forward. Claims of breach of contract and unjust enrichment were dismissed, but the case will proceed to discovery, allowing artists to investigate how AI firms may have used copyrighted materials to train large language and image models.

The Writers Guild’s fight against AI plagiarism marks a critical moment for the entertainment industry as it navigates the impact of technology on creativity and copyright law.