These ads showcase messages like, “Keep Watch On AI,” “Stop AI Theft,” and “AI Steals From You Too,” with additional text stating: “Stealing is un-American. Tell Washington to make Big Tech pay for the content it takes.” This effort follows recent incidents where OpenAI and Google communicated with the government, advocating for the allowance of AI models to be trained using copyrighted material.

The advertisement also includes a link and a QR code directing users to the Support Responsible AI webpage. This site encourages individuals to reach out to their local representatives to push for fair compensation to writers, artists, and journalists by Big Tech companies. The campaign also emphasizes the importance of attribution in content generated by AI.

“Right now, Big Tech and AI companies are using publishers’ own content against them, taking it without authorization or compensation to power AI products that pull advertising and subscription revenue away from the original creators of that content,” Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, said in the press release. “The news media industry is not anti-AI – many companies and creators use AI tools in their work. Rather, we seek a balanced ecosystem where AI is built responsibly.”

In February, major UK newspapers ran a similar campaign. Many plastered their covers with the phrase “MAKE IT FAIR” as part of an initiative that asked readers to help protect AI from training on copyrighted content. Some other publishers participating in the Support Responsible AI campaign include The Atlantic, Seattle Times, Tampa Bay Times, Wired publisher Condé Nast, and Politico owner Axel Springer.