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Authors Guild Welcomes AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act

Artificial Intelligence

July 29, 2025

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The Authors Guild welcomes the bipartisan AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act, introduced by Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). This critical legislation comes at a pivotal moment for American authors, artists, and other creators whose works are being systematically exploited by AI companies without consent, compensation, or accountability.

This bill responds directly to what Senator Hawley correctly identified as “the largest intellectual property theft in American history.” Generative AI companies have scraped millions of copyrighted books from criminal pirate websites such as Library Genesis, Z-Library, and Anna’s Archive, all without permission. These sites have long evaded enforcement, operating anonymously overseas and reappearing under new domains whenever action is taken against them. Major AI developers have used datasets built on this stolen material to train their models—profiting from intellectual property they neither created nor licensed. And those models now generate synthetic books that directly compete with legitimate titles—undermining discoverability, siphoning off royalties, and deceiving consumers. This is not incidental misuse; it is systematic, large-scale infringement.

The AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act would finally give creators and consumers the legal tools they need to fight back. Critically, it prohibits AI companies from using copyrighted works without permission, reaffirming authors’ fundamental rights over their creations. And it establishes a federal tort for the misuse of personal data and copyrighted materials, allowing individual creators to sue companies that use their work or personal data without clear, affirmative consent.

AI developers cannot be allowed to build their businesses on the backs of unpaid and unlicensed creators. Congress must act to restore the rights of working Americans—authors, journalists, musicians, visual artists, and everyday users whose data and voices are being co-opted without permission.

The Authors Guild has been at the forefront of protecting creators in the AI era, partnering with AI licensing companies and offering certifications like Human Authored to protect consumers and celebrate authenticity in writing. This work is more urgent than ever: our most recent author income survey shows that full-time authors earn only $10,000 per year from their books—a figure that will be further devastated without respect for the existing copyright system that protects their work. Robust legal protections are essential for the livelihoods of creators and for preserving the integrity of works we cherish. 

We commend Senators Hawley and Blumenthal for their leadership and urge swift passage of this legislation. The Authors Guild stands ready to support this bill’s advancement and ensure that creators’ voices are no longer ignored in the age of AI.