• Campaigns and legal actions aim to confront AI content copying

Days ahead of the French César Awards, thousands of actors and filmmakers warned that artificial intelligence tools threaten to appropriate their creative talents in cinema.

Around 4,000 artists, in an open letter published in a French newspaper, stated that “our profession is facing deep disruption with the rise of AI,” including major French film stars such as Swan Arlaud, François Damiens, and Elodie Bouchez.

The artists added that AI “has value in certain fields” but represents a “destructive hydra for creators like us,” pointing to the widespread use of unauthorized voice cloning technology that has recently swept the industry.

The letter highlighted that hundreds of lesser-known performers are pressured into signing contracts granting AI companies the rights to use their voices, despite the risks to their image and professional future.

The artists stressed that this “organized appropriation is not hypothetical—it is happening before our eyes,” calling for clear legal frameworks that allow AI to coexist with creative works while protecting copyright and neighboring rights.

In recent months, the industry has launched initiatives to address AI threats and the wave of replicated content that closely imitates actors and their voices.

In January, eight French actors sent formal warning letters to two U.S. companies that had cloned their voices without permission.

Actors also took to the streets of Paris under the slogan: “Touche pas à ma VF” (“Don’t touch my French dubbing”).

The debate has crossed France’s borders, as major Hollywood stars last week accused a Chinese company of copyright violations after AI-generated video clips circulated, showing Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in fictional fight scenes.