Thousands of writers have launched a symbolic protest against the use of copyrighted material in artificial intelligence training by publishing an “empty” book listing only the names of its contributors.
The project, titled “Don’t Steal This Book,” includes around 10,000 authors, among them Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro, novelist Philippa Gregory, and writer Richard Osman. Copies were distributed during the London Book Fair, highlighting growing tensions between the creative industries and AI developers.
Organised by composer and campaigner Ed Newton-Rex, the initiative argues that many AI systems are trained on creative works without permission or payment, raising concerns about the future livelihoods of authors.
The protest comes as the UK government prepares to release an economic assessment of proposed copyright reforms by 18 March, including potential rules governing how AI companies may use copyrighted material.
Industry groups are also exploring collective licensing frameworks to provide legal access to published works while protecting creators’ rights.
