A coalition of conservative and America First advocates has penned a letter addressed directly to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios. The letter argues forcefully against granting broad licenses for copyrighted content to artificial intelligence companies.
“The current approach risks devaluing decades of creative investment,” insisted the signatories, including prominent figures Steve Bannon among others from nationalist organizations like Bull Moose Project and Citizens for Renewing America. “It is absurd to suggest that licensing copyrighted content is a financial hindrance.”
The letter highlights what they see as an inherent conflict between AI development and intellectual property rights protection in the United States. It cites specific economic impacts, stating core copyright industries contribute over $2 trillion to U.S. GDP employing 11.6 million workers with average annual wages exceeding $140,000 – significantly higher than many sectors of the economy.
Furthermore, the letter points to concerns that weakening these protections would benefit foreign competitors like China and its allies’ adversaries. “Allowing this could effectively aid global competitors,” it claims.
The group provided examples suggesting even current AI systems are improperly using copyrighted material: “We have seen platforms like ChatGPT treating copyright as an afterthought, which is irresponsible.”
The letter contends that the development of artificial intelligence should prioritize beneficial applications such as leveraging publicly available data in ways that don’t harm American creators. It suggests large corporations possess the financial resources and market power to follow proper intellectual property rules without compromising innovation.
Letters detailing concerns about AI’s potential impact on U.S. economic interests have been growing more frequent within recent months, further fueling anxieties among critics of current technology policies regarding these same issues.
