5 Hollywood Stars Taking a Stand Against the Rise of AI, Including Scarlett Johansson

Just when you thought the debate over AI and Hollywood couldn’t get any more heated, here comes a massive pile-on: over 700 artists have joined forces to call out what they see as big tech companies running wild with AI – and using creators' work without permission. The latest campaign, called 'Stealing Isn't Innovation,' isn’t beating around the bush. In fact, with names like Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett front and center, things are getting pretty serious (and, frankly, overdue).

The Campaign: 'Stealing Isn't Innovation'

Here’s the gist: these artists are basically saying, look, developing cool new tech is great and all, but not if you’re just straight-up lifting other people’s stuff to do it. Their open letter doesn’t mince words:

'Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple.'

The group isn’t anti-AI, by the way. They’re pushing for things like licensing deals and actual partnerships – you know, the kind where creators get a say and (hopefully) a check. They argue there’s a way to have powerful AI and basic respect for copyright, if anyone at the top cares enough to try.

This effort is backed by the Human Artistry Campaign, which frames itself as pro-ethical, pro-responsible AI – not just 'anti-everything-new'.

5 Big Names Who’ve Signed On (and Why They Care)

Most of these folks aren’t newcomers to the AI controversy – some have been fighting this battle for years. Here’s a quick tour through five celebrities making noise in this latest push:

• Scarlett Johansson: Johansson’s name comes up constantly in AI debates, and for good reason. She’s been vocal for years about companies faking her likeness without sign-off. Last year, she blasted an AI-generated video inserting her (and other actors) into a weird, fake protest against Kanye West’s antisemitic posts. Her main point: it’s about more than just what’s being said – AI can crank up the danger of hate speech and misinformation.
  When OpenAI rolled out a chatbot with a voice suspiciously like her character in Her, Johansson publicly called them out. She’s also begged Congress to actually do something about AI before the train’s totally off the tracks.
• Cate Blanchett: Blanchett isn’t just worried about actors losing jobs – she straight up told the BBC she’s 'deeply concerned' about how AI could screw up humanity as a whole. She’s less stressed about personal career impact and way more bothered by how regular people could be displaced, manipulated, or just made irrelevant.
  As she put it, if you’ve recorded a few seconds of your own voice, 'you can totally be replaced.' Fun times!
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Gordon-Levitt has gone out of his way to question why any of this is even allowed: 'Why should companies building this technology not have to follow any laws?,' he asked at a recent Fortune conference. He’s been hammering at tech’s evasions, especially as they train AI on the creative work other people made for free. His frustration is pretty clear – he wants companies actually held accountable.
• Kristen Bell: Here’s someone who’s done both sides of the AI fence – Bell was literally the voice of Meta’s AI chatbot, yet she’s also slammed Meta for scraping her posts and images. After all, as she posted herself, 'I own the copyright' and doesn’t consent to that data being fed into AI tools. Now she’s lining up with the Stealing Isn’t Innovation crew, which should finally put to rest any confusion about whose side she’s on.
• Sean Astin: Since taking up the SAG-AFTRA presidency in 2025, Astin’s had to think about AI from a union perspective. The guy even admits to using AI to help prep for big meetings (because, hey, why not use the tool for grunt work?). But he draws a firm line: it’s one thing to use AI for sorting info, totally another when it invades performers’ name, image, and likeness. He’s focused on figuring out where that line gets crossed, and defending his union’s members from having their digital doubles run rampant.

If you’re wondering, it’s not just actors in this coalition – authors like Jodi Picoult and George Saunders, musicians (Jennifer Hudson, One Republic, etc.), and plenty more have signed up. Once again, it’s a rare show of unity across Hollywood and beyond when everyone feels their work (not to mention their faces and voices) are one click away from being hijacked by AI.

So, What Now?

Is this campaign going to stop tech giants from gobbling up creative work and automating everything in sight? Maybe, maybe not. But seeing this many heavy hitters risk the backlash to speak up – in the messiest, least polite way possible – says something about how panicky this fight has gotten.

The real question: Will lawmakers or tech companies actually listen? As always, let me know what you think in the comments.