Thousands of authors publish blank books to protest AI

From Nobel laureates to bestselling novelists, thousands of writers have released a book with no words — except their names — in a protest against AI firms using their work without permission.

Around 10,000 authors, including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman, have contributed to Don’t Steal This Book, an “empty” publication created to highlight concerns over artificial intelligence companies training systems on copyrighted material without consent, the Guardian writes. 

The book contains no text beyond a list of contributing authors’ names and is being distributed to attendees at the London Book Fair on 10 March. The protest comes a week before the UK government is due to publish an economic impact assessment on proposed changes to copyright law, with ministers required to provide an update to parliament by 18 March.

The organiser of the book, Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and campaigner for protecting artists’ copyright, said the AI industry was “built on stolen work … taken without permission or payment”.

“This is not a victimless crime – generative AI competes with the people whose work it is trained on, robbing them of their livelihoods. The government must protect the UK’s creatives, and refuse to legalise the theft of creative work by AI companies," he noted. 

Other contributors include Slow Horses author Mick Herron, novelist Marian Keyes, historian David Olusoga and Malorie Blackman, known for Noughts and Crosses.

“It is not in any way unreasonable to expect AI companies to pay for the use of authors’ books,” said Blackman.

The book’s back cover states: “The UK government must not legalise book theft to benefit AI companies.”

The protest reflects mounting anger within Britain’s creative industries over proposals that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted material without permission unless rights holders actively opt out. Critics argue this reverses the traditional principle of copyright protection.

Among those voicing opposition is musician Elton John, who has criticised the prospect of relaxing copyright law and called the government “absolute losers”.

The government consultation outlines several possible approaches: maintaining the current system; requiring AI firms to obtain licences; allowing use with an opt-out mechanism; or permitting unrestricted use without opt-out. Ministers have also not ruled out a potential copyright waiver for “commercial research”, raising further concerns among artists.

In parallel, Publishers’ Licensing Services, a non-profit industry body, is launching a collective AI licensing initiative at the London Book Fair, aiming to provide legal access to published works.

A government spokesperson said: “The government wants a copyright regime that values and protects human creativity, can be trusted, and unlocks innovation. We will continue to engage closely with the creative sector on this issue, and we will meet our commitment to update parliament by March 18th.”

By Sabina Mammadli