A coalition of conservative advocacy groups — including former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon— has formally urged the Donald Trump administration to reject Big Tech’s push to treat copyrighted materials as “free” fodder for training artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
In a Dec. 1 letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and science-policy director Michael Kratsios, the signatories call the “fair use” argument a form of systemic theft and “un-American,” arguing that it would undermine creators, workers, and intellectual-property protections central to America's economic and cultural strength.
“We must compete and win the global AI race the American way—by ensuring we protect creators, children, conservatives, and communities,” the letter said.
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Group Warns Undermining IP Helps China
The group said weakening copyright protections would contradict Trump’s trade and AI policies while empowering China, long accused of industrial-scale intellectual property (IP) theft.
They highlighted that copyright-driven industries contribute over $2 trillion to GDP and support more than 11 million high-wage U.S. jobs.
The letter also dismisses Silicon Valley’s argument that licensing copyrighted works is too costly for AI development, calling it implausible given trillion-dollar market caps and hundreds of billions spent annually on AI.
“AI companies enjoy virtually unlimited access to financing,” the signatories noted.
Meanwhile, Bannon’s “War Room” echoed the letter on Truth Social, posting the document and framing Big Tech’s position as “un-American and absurd,” urging followers to demand the administration stand with creators.
The coalition said letting courts handle the issue, not federal intervention, is essential to preserving America's cultural and economic leadership.
“Such intervention would harm American workers, contradict the Trump
Administration's artificial intelligence (AI) and trade policy, weaken U.S. soft power, and promote China's economic espionage,” the letter said.