According to The Guardian, the work titled “Don’t Steal This Book”, was unveiled at the London Book Fair and contains only the names of writers who took part, including well-known figures such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory, Richard Osman and many others.

The gesture is meant to draw attention to growing concern in the creative community that AI systems are trained on copyrighted books and other creative works without permission or payment to the creators. Organiser Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and copyright advocate, said the campaign highlights how generative AI firms rely on “stolen work” and warned that weakening copyright protections would harm authors’ livelihoods.

The protest comes just before the UK government is expected to publish an economic impact assessment and progress report on proposed changes to copyright law. One of the controversial ideas in the consultation would allow AI companies to use copyrighted material unless rights holders explicitly opt out — a move many writers oppose.

At the same event, industry groups are also promoting a collective licensing scheme that could offer a way for publishers and authors to legally manage access to creative works for AI training.