'Breaking Bad' creator fears Hollywood has glamorized bad guys: 'They become aspirational'
'Breaking Bad' creator fears Hollywood has glamorized bad guys: 'They become aspirational'
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'Breaking Bad' actor Bryan Cranston slams Disney, Bob Iger over AI
"Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston directed a speech at Disney CEO Bob Iger calling for understanding during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Damien Henderson, Storyful
Vince Gilligan wants Hollywood to take a break from bad guys.
At the Writers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, the "Breaking Bad" creator expressed concern about films and TV shows glamorizing evil characters like his show's protagonist Walter White (Bryan Cranston).
"For decades, we've made the villains too sexy," Gilligan said. "When we create characters as indelible as Michael Corleone or Hannibal Lecter or Darth Vader or Tony Soprano, viewers everywhere pay attention. They say, 'Man, those dudes are badass! I want to be that cool.'
"When that happens, fictional bad guys stop being the cautionary tales that they were intended to be. God help us, they become aspirational."
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Gilligan was honored at the ceremony with the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for achievement in television writing, and he noted he was there "because of 'Breaking Bad' and Walter White." But though he is "proud" of the character, a cancer-stricken teacher who begins making meth to provide for his family, Gilligan said he would "rather be celebrated for creating someone a bit more inspiring" − especially in today's environment.
"In 2025, it's time to say that out loud, because we are living in an era where bad guys, the real-life kind, are running amok," he said. "Bad guys who make their own rules. Bad guys who, no matter what they tell you, are only out for themselves."
Though Gilligan did not specify who he sees as today's real-life bad guys, he quipped, "Who am I talking about? Well, this is Hollywood, so guess."
'Breaking Bad' home is up for sale: The Albuquerque residence has an asking price of $4 million
The Emmy winner implored the room full of television and film writers to "write more good guys," suggesting that characters like George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life" and Andy Taylor from "The Andy Griffith Show" "made our country a little bit better during some other tough times in our history."
"If I had created them, I'd be proud, indeed," he added.
After "Breaking Bad" ended in 2013, Gilligan co-created the spinoff "Better Call Saul," which followed lawyer Jimmy McGill's (Bob Odenkirk) descent into the corrupt Saul Goodman. His next show for Apple TV+ is set to star "Better Call Saul" alum Rhea Seehorn − and he noted at the WGAs that she plays "a good guy."
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Saturday's ceremony also posthumously honored director David Lynch with the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, which was presented by "Twin Peaks" star Kyle MacLachlan.
"My heart breaks that he's gone, but the world is so much fuller because he was here," the actor said.
"Anora" remained an Oscar best-picture frontrunner as it won best original screenplay at Saturday's awards show, while "Nickel Boys" picked up best adapted screenplay.
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Cosmopolitan
42 minutes ago
- Cosmopolitan
Interview with ‘Ginny & Georgia' Stars Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey
After two seasons on the air tackling wild storylines and surprises, it would seem like nothing could shake up Ginny and Georgia's Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey. But as seen in the show's highly watched third season, the Netflix hit went through a bit of a shift both in front and behind the camera. The SAG-AFTRA strike and a longer than normal hiatus put the cast further apart than ever. Then when they were finally able to come back and film, they had a new showrunner to work with. And the storyline of the season gave Antonia and Brianne fewer scenes together than usual. As Ginny was forced away from her mother who was under house arrest and facing a murder charge, the series took its drama and kicked things up a notch. But despite the distance, it actually brought the two actors closer together. The feelings were heightened, forcing them to bring more trust and care to set while their characters realize just how alike they are when their relationship and futures are on the line. Thankfully, the show received a two-season renewal before this season even aired (yes, peaches, season 4 is already guaranteed!), so there's still more of the story to come. But as Ginny and Georgia face a new kind of future, Cosmopolitan caught Antonia and Brianne to ask them about those (not one but…) two pregnancy reveals, how they're taking on season 4 together, and how missing each other brought a new level of their characters to the screen. Brianne Howey: It's always interesting to have that long of a hiatus. Personally, it will give me a little bit more butterflies going back. But at the same time, we stay in touch throughout the process. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. I think it's nice to miss our characters a little bit so then when we come back. Antonia Gentry: I feel like we're all a lot closer even now. I'm looking forward to no longer having to wait two years to see everyone. I missed working with Bri. I love my whole cast, but I really did feel Bri's absence as Georgia as I didn't work with her as much as I was used to. It kind of helped with the character. I missed her in real life not seeing her as much on set. BH: Georgia being on house arrest certainly changed the dynamic. I actually think the kids not living with Georgia made them closer. They did miss each other so much that when Georgia was with the kids, those scenes were really important and really full. Otherwise, I was solo in the house. It was a very different experience this season. It was more Georgia's breakdown season to get to her breakthrough. BH: There's some moral ambiguity here, but I think the difference for these women is that their intentions are pure. Georgia wants nothing more than to protect her kids and keep her family together. It's the same with Ginny at the end of the season. This season is so much about the lengths you go to for your loved ones. But it does pose some other questions. Are Ginny and Georgia better off together or apart? Is it really them against the world? This season made me miss Georgia's feistiness and her sass and her controlling abilities and her playing chess with everyone. AG: Getting to play that side of Ginny this season was really, really fun, and I'm super excited to see where we go from there. Ultimately, the show always showcases the irony of the lengths that Georgia has gone through to protect her kids from the life that she lived. Her methods and her examples that she's been setting end up kind of come back full circle as we see Ginny making a lot of the same choices that Georgia would make. BH: You mean love? BH: We end season 3 on such a shocking note, where every single secret Georgia has been hiding has now been revealed. The woman with the most secrets no longer has any. We've also seen small actionable change within Georgia, that there is potential for her to find it. I don't think it will come easy or fast, but I think Georgia can find a more a more peaceful, safe version of the life she's living and what she's been doing. AG: In the moment that Ginny's poem goes viral on TikTok, she really does blame herself for sort of putting that nail in the coffin. Like, I basically confess on behalf of my mother that she has killed people. But this is her tool. This what she needs in order to make sense of her life and her feelings and what she's going through. It just shows how much she's basically grown and changed by the end of this season, because I don't think season 2 Ginny would have ever gone back to poetry had it happened then. By this point, she's basically like, Eff it. This is me. This is who I am, and you're gonna have to deal with it. BH: For Zion and Georgia, there's no going back. That's peak betrayal. I don't know that Georgia has ever been more hurt, especially because Zion was the first love of her life. Georgia's always viewed them as ships passing in the night. They've always had this will-they, won't-they, and this season certainly solidifies they won't. Georgia, in her process of continuing to have any form of emotional intelligence, can see how good it is for Ginny to spend time with her father and how much it affects her life for the better. Georgia has to step outside of herself and put her children first, and that means Zion is going to be a very big part of her life as he should be. AG: It's a matter of sort of finally standing up and basically doing the things that they should have done all along. They were teenagers when Ginny was born. Ginny has always been trying to get her dad to see the truth and look past the veil that Georgia puts in place. When he finally does, he basically makes everything worse for them. For them to have joint custody, it's literally respecting Ginny's wishes. It's literally finally giving her a say in her life and what she wants. While it will be a challenge, for Ginny, this is literally all she's ever wanted. AG: She is used to Georgia taking up so much space and not really allowing Ginny to explore who she is through a lot of unsolicited advice. At the end of the day, Georgia is Ginny's mother, and Ginny looks up to her mother and has always had this sense of awe when it comes to her. When Ginny witnesses Georgia in this weakened state where she basically just gives up and she's like, I'm done running. I'm done playing these games. Ginny's like, Oh, absolutely not. I need to help her. I need her in my life as my mother. So she truly just does whatever she can, but in Georgia fashion. BH: So much of this season is about Georgia finally taking a good look in the mirror and seeing a more honest reflection of herself and in doing so, she's finally able to give Ginny what Ginny has been so desperately asking for which is space and agency. Ginny became her identity. That's why she has no boundaries. That's why she's so obsessed with her. That's why she's so possessive over her. And that was actually still a better outcome for Georgia than what would have happened to her if she didn't get pregnant. Georgia was on a really destructive path and has been through a lot of trauma. I think Ginny saved her life. Granted they became then too enmeshed because Georgia doesn't have the right tools. But it's beautiful in that moment that we finally get to see that Ginny has her own agency and can make a decision for herself, especially about this hot topic that the show handles so beautifully. AG: Ultimately, when we look at these two characters, they have always been a mirror image of each other. At the same time that Ginny has saved Georgia's life, we also have those moments where it's like, because of the decisions you made, it has affected Ginny and Austin in these ways and not all of them are positive. In fact, many of them are their own sources of trauma. For Ginny, who has a different life than Georgia and has different opportunities and has a different support system, when you compare the two of them at that age, it makes so much more sense for her to be able to sort of continue to build a life for herself before coming into motherhood. Allowing Ginny to come to that conclusion on her own is is a big symbol of their relationship. BH: Look, we all want Georgia to chill out a little bit, give Ginny some space, take a breather. That being said, now that I've had my daughter, I'm not giving her any space, no. I'm gonna force that child to be my best friend forever. I understand Georgia's obsession more. Your kids are your everything. I would do anything for my daughter. I used to think of Georgia as extra extreme, but maybe I think of her as a touch less so. AG: I mean, on set, we literally have to trust each other. We're always emotionally at a 10. Especially now that we have three seasons, there's no one I trust more on set than Brianne, which allows me to go there. And when you go there for 12 hours a day every single day for half a year with someone, you bring that trust home with you. Bri will always be someone that is very special and will be in my life until I'm dead. BH: You're gonna make me cry. AG: She makes it easy! BH: I don't even know how to explain it. Since the day I met Toni, it's been the easiest thing. I do think how heavy our material is has expedited our intimacy together. I mean, how many scenes have we done where we're balling in each other's arms? I'm really grateful that it's with someone who is so authentic and so talented and such a wonderful scene partner and human being. It's the safest of spaces for the scariest of material. AG: It just speaks volumes how much people have resonated with the show and the stories that each character portrays. For it to be such a specific and unique mother-daughter duo that has universality where so many people are able to really resonate and connect with these characters just shows how there's not a lot of options out there that depict this kind of mother-daughter relationship. It's really gratifying. I truly am grateful to be a part of this type of story and it makes me want to work harder to make sure that we bring these characters to justice. BH: I wish that there was a show like this on when I was in high school. It touches so many subjects that people weren't really talking about. Nobody was talking about mental health. I grew up with a young single mom. I think if I had seen it on TV, in this capacity, it would have given me a little bit of confidence, because Georgia is glorified in some ways. It's an honor that we get to be a part of this niche group. AG: I think Ginny & Georgia is a show that is very much aware of what it is and what it wants to be. The tone is so specific. While we do have such dark themes and very relevant, topical conversation starters in the show. At the same time, it's very aware that it's a TV show. I think that's one of the things that makes it work so well. It's not overly trying to teach you or tell you how to feel about something. It offers entertainment as well as real conversation starters. If the show was written for an award, it would be a very different show. BH: We're definitely not chasing it. I think we kind keep our heads down, we do the work, and if anyone else thinks that, amazing. And if they don't, that's okay too. We're really proud of the work that we're putting out there. For this season, in particular, I've never seen people work harder. The entire crew, every actor on that set, the writers room—it motivated me every day. I'm just very proud to be on the show with everyone. BH: Honestly, the main thing on my mind is how the hell is Georgia gonna have this conversation with Paul and Joe? And what on earth is Paul gonna say after the false pregnancy? Especially because she already has two kids she really needs to worry about. If Georgia has learned anything, it's that she needs to be there for her kids in a significantly and wildly different way. So now that we're throwing potentially a third into the mix, Georgia's got a lot of thinking to do. AG: baby girl. From Ginny's perspective, I don't know that she'd love her boss to be any sort of zaddy. AG: Anytime Ginny gets to just have fun, I'm really happy for her. Female friendships, especially at that age, are just so complex. To see Max and Ginny sort of grow apart from each other is sad and I hope that they can eventually come back together. But, ultimately, Ginny has found and is still finding people who really show up for her. She's gotten closer with Bracia. She's gotten closer with Nora and Abby. She and Marcus still show up for each other, even though it's painful and they want to just hold hands and kiss all day. Maxine is still learning how to be that kind of person. She's still learning how to show up for her friends in a way that they need her to, instead of how she thinks she should. You see ANG getting closer to each other, and maybe M getting a little bit left out, but they're always going to be MANG forever. So I think we'll see a stronger crew. BH: Man, that would hurt Paul's feelings, wouldn't it? BH: Absolutely! I suppose I wouldn't be too shocked if that happened. But I think what Georgia has realized this season is she's been trying to protect her kids from everyone but herself. So I'm hoping there's a lot more growth and change on the other side of this. I am excited to see Georgia therapy scenes. They're gonna be so twisted and awesome! AG: Therapy scenes! I'm not the only one in therapy! BH: But you paved the way! AG: I want to know what happens to Marcus. I want to know if Ginny will continue her Georgia streak and what that might look like. I have so many questions! BH: It actually doesn't feel like that, because there's so much that's going to happen. Each season is so jam-packed, and also we don't totally know it's gonna happen, but we know a little bit and it's a lot! AG: My question is always like, 'How are we gonna wrap this up?' BH: There's too many loose ends! How can it be wrapped up? AG: And Ginny's still a sophomore! AG: I've been a sophomore for five years! And we do have a time limit. Diesel is gonna go to college... BH: Grow his own mustache. He hit puberty! AG: He's going to have his own family by the time we wrap up! Season 3 of Ginny & Georgia is now streaming on Netflix.
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Sex workers are having a moment, but is the discourse missing the mark?
Sex workers are having a moment, but is the discourse missing the mark? The internet is talking about sex workers. A lot. They were in the spotlight during Oscars season − "Anora" won five awards, including best picture − and OnlyFans stars are gaining popularity on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, becoming pseudo-celebrities in the week, the discourse reached new heights. On June 11, The Economist published a profile of controversial adult entertainer Bonnie Blue titled "Welcome to Bonnie Blue's Britain." The 26-year-old made headlines by staging a since-canceled "petting zoo" stunt to give male fans unfettered access to her. The move angered fellow OnlyFans creators, like Sophie Rain, and made headlines. So what's going on? Sex work is having a moment. But some sex workers, whether they work in strip clubs or as online adult content creators, feel their lived experiences all too often get ignored in the discourse. 'Sex work is work' has become a party line for progressive politics, says Marla Cruz, a 30-year-old sex worker. Signs with the phrase can be found at women's marches and bedazzled T-shirts. But Cruz, along with half a dozen sex workers and OnlyFans creators USA TODAY spoke to, say that while recognizing sex workers' labor is important, the spotlight belongs on the financial and legal barriers to their safety and agency, which they say requires a deeper understanding of their work. 'There are plenty of people who will destigmatize the concept that sex work is real work, which it is,' Cruz says. 'But just because you recognize that it's real work, that doesn't mean that you respect the worker behind it.' What health & wellness means for you: Sign up for USA TODAY's Keeping It Together newsletter. Controversial OnlyFans stunts make 'a joke out of all of us' In December 2024, Lily Phillips made headlines for having sex with 100 men in 24 hours and documenting it for her OnlyFans. That documentary accumulated over 10 million views on YouTube and ignited passionate reactions. In January, Blue said she slept with 1,057 men in 12 hours. Rain, a Miami-based influencer with over 500K fans on OnlyFans and 20M followers across social media platforms, called out Blue for turning the platform into a 'clown show.' Rain is a member of the Bop House, a content creator mansion of eight Gen Z OnlyFans creators. Her posts toe the line between sensual and sexually suggestive but never involve full nudity. 'It's no longer women empowerment. It's shock value, and she's making a joke out of all of us. We built this space to take control of our bodies and make money on our terms,' Rain said in a statement. 'Brands don't take us seriously anymore. Media doesn't take us seriously. I'm tired of having to explain that not all of us are doing circus acts for clicks.' Adreena Winters, who has worked in the adult entertainment industry for over 15 years, starting with studio porn before transitioning to OnlyFans during COVID-19, also worries that customers will 'lose trust' in sex workers if these stunts are just tactics to garner media attention. Still, she hopes these larger conversations can continue the positive trend she's seen in dismantling stigma against sex workers. She attributes this 'big shift' to OnlyFans' presence in books, documentaries and mainstream music. Artists like Lily Allen and Cardi B have used the platform to promote their music or release exclusive content, and Bad Bunny's track "Te Mudaste," which mentions OnlyFans, landed on Billboard's Top 100. But Winters says the acceptance hasn't extended to other areas of sex work, such as studio porn. 'I feel like it is very OnlyFans related. OnlyFans is quite ambiguous, people don't just jump to the conclusion that you're doing hardcore porn,' she says, adding that there is also a 'ridiculous amount of stigma and discrimination in the business world.' Keily Blair, the chief executive of OnlyFans, told the Financial Times that one bank turned her down as a customer. Both Winters and Cruz have struggled to access banking tools in the U.K. and U.S., they say, with Winters resorting to 'obscure, online banks' after having her accounts closed. Sex workers frequently ask for advice on Reddit and exchange tips for setting up a bank account to process their OnlyFans earnings. And, FOSTA-SESTA, a U.S. law passed under President Donald Trump in 2018, attempted to shut down websites that facilitate sex trafficking, including the popular advertising platform Backpage, which had been taken down a few days prior by U.S. federal authorities. But sex workers say that in the process, it damaged an online infrastructure that helped keep them safe. A 2020 study of FOSTA's effects on sex workers showed it increased economic instability for about 72% of the study's participants, and nearly 34% reported an increase in violence from clients. Cruz argues that repealing SESTA-FOSTA, which 'goes hand-in-hand' with decriminalizing sex work, is a crucial step in improving their working conditions. OnlyFans and AI are impacting girls: This author wrote a book about it. Sex workers need worker protections, not just attention Cruz's introduction to sex work was as a sugar baby when she was 18 to help pay for college. After working an office job, she began stripping and offering "full-service," which includes exchanging sex for money. She's moved around the country. At one strip club, Cruz faced the 'worst working conditions' she'd ever experienced. In those moments, the least of her concerns was whether or not people saw her labor as 'real work.' While working as a stripper, she was strangled in the 'champagne room,' where clients would go for private services. When she turned to management, they encouraged her not to involve law enforcement. 'Whether or not somebody thinks what we're doing is normal is totally immaterial to whether or not we are safe at work,' she explains. 'I need an emergency button in the champagne room. I need a bouncer by the champagne room to be there if a customer is abusing me.' Online, some young female OnlyFans stars make their lives look aspirational. Rain's 'Bop House' squad has a combined following of nearly 90 million users across social media platforms. 'I wanna be like you when I get older,' one follower wrote under a video of the women dancing. "I need to join the bop house,' said another. But while Cruz has said committing to the industry was the best decision she has ever made, she doesn't encourage other women to follow in her footsteps. On 'Stripper Twitter,' an online community of in-person sex workers, they look out for each other. Part of the reason that community is so strong, Cruz says, is because they understand how 'difficult, lonely and isolating' the work can be. More: Online, young female OnlyFans stars make their lives look aspirational. Is it problematic? Sex workers want better representations of their lived experiences Cruz had been excited for the release of 'Anora,' but was disillusioned by the film. 'Anora' follows the whirlwind relationship between a 23-year-old stripper, Ani (Mikey Madison), and her client-turned-husband, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. The romantic dramedy was marketed as a Cinderella story, and an early screening to an audience of sex workers, who clacked their heels in approval during the end credits, swiftly circulated on social media. When the film dominated awards season, other sex workers began expressing their disapproval. One of Cruz's biggest criticisms is that it depicted sex workers 'through the eyes of customers and consumers and not as workers performing labor,' which she calls a 'disrespect of our work.' To her, the film was a 'reminder' that the lived experiences of sex workers like herself, and the tensions between sex workers and consumers, will 'not be portrayed accurately' unless sex workers are in control of that portrayal from start to finish. ''Anora' embodies the dehumanizing consumer fantasy of a devoted worker who loves the consumer so much she does not conceive of her servitude as labor,' Cruz wrote of the film. In Mikey Madison's acceptance speech for best actress at the Oscars, Madison recognized the sex worker community: 'I see you. You deserve respect and human decency.' For Cruz, those sentiments fell flat. 'Advocacy for sex workers cannot be ambiguous,' she says. Instead of awards, she'd like to see real, tangible change.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Hollywood Sues AI Firm For Copying Characters With No License
Disney and Paramount's lawsuit, against AI image generator Midjourney, could reshape AI's IP future. On Tuesday, Disney and Universal filed a joint copyright infringement suit against Midjourney, one of the most widely used generative AI image platforms. The complaint, filed in California, alleges that Midjourney knowingly trained its AI models on copyrighted film stills and character images – without permission. Noting that the resulting outputs that users produce are very similar to copyrighted content. But what's at stake here isn't just retroactive damages or royalty reimbursements. According to Yelena Ambartsumian, an AI governance and IP lawyer and founder of Ambart Law PLLC, the real concern is forward-looking. 'I think Disney and Universal's major concern is not the licensing fees and royalties they have missed out on from Midjourney's training datasets,' Ambartsumian said in an interview, 'but rather Midjourney's soon-to-be-released commercial AI video service.' In other words, this isn't just about Mickey Mouse showing up on a knock-off poster. It's about synthetic video fakes. Midjourney's AI models currently generate static images, but the company has been promising a text-to-video upgrade that could generate full-motion scenes. This legal action confirms that the movie studios aren't waiting to see if those synthetic reels might mirror their IP. As Ambartsumian notes, 'Their complaint for copyright infringement seeks an injunction, not only of Midjourney's image-generation service but also of the forthcoming video-generation service.' The studios' complaint even includes side-by-side comparisons of model outputs and iconic animated film stills – some of which are virtually indistinguishable to the untrained eye. This collection of AI generated images was included on page six of publicly disclosed legal filing. Until now, generative AI companies have often leaned on the idea of 'transformative use' under fair use doctrine. That is, if an output changes the source material with some type of novel addition, it might not violate the copyright on the original. But this suit could punch a gaping hole in that argument. 'This lawsuit fundamentally breaks the 'transformative' defense,' said Dr. Manny Ahmed, founder and CEO of OpenOrigins, a firm focused on content authenticity. 'Most lawsuits have focused on copyright infringement from content scraping and AI model training, whereas this lawsuit targets the reduction of copyrighted material by a model.' That's a critical distinction. Rather than arguing about whether the model scraped copyrighted images, Disney and Paramount are highlighting what it can now produce. Based on the details listed in the filing, the movie creatives are more interested in what the AI models can produce once trained, and less interested in the copyrighted materials used for that training. This is a significant shift that could be a watermark moment – both figuratively and literally – regarding how the courts handle infringement cases going forward. One of the murkiest aspects of IP law regarding AI involves 'style.' Examples of the concept are the unique stylistic renderings of characters on The Simpsons or the distinct look and style of movies from Studio Ghibli. The question is can an AI model mimic the artistic style of a movie without using exact characters? If so, is the generated content protected? Dr. Ahmed points out that this case might broaden the legal conversation. 'What remains to be seen is whether the argument being made by Disney and NBCU will also apply to 'styles' and not just distinctly identifiable characters/IP assets,' he said. 'If it does, this would impose even broader restrictions on the outputs of these models.' If that happens, generative AI firms may have to navigate a minefield of visual boundaries—not just around iconic characters like Elsa or Shrek, but around entire cinematic aesthetics. Some in the AI space have expressed frustration that Midjourney didn't implement better safeguards to avoid this outcome. 'Midjourney may have a point—that it's difficult to know the provenance of the millions of images its diffusion models are trained on,' Ambartsumian told me. 'But that's not an excuse for failing to implement safeguards post-training, after learning that the models can create outputs that likely infringe on copyrighted works. Why Midjourney did not implement those safeguards, before deployment, is baffling to me.' Ahmed agrees that technical and policy steps are available – and increasingly necessary. 'There are two paths Midjourney could pursue,' he said. 'One, Midjourney should consider collaborative relationships when it comes to training. Licensing content is a minimum standard. Two, when it comes to the outputs, Midjourney should agree up front with its licensors what kinds of outputs are allowed.' That kind of upfront agreement could enable controlled replication in some cases – like promotional content or fan art – but only with explicit consent from the rights holder. Even if Midjourney settles or wins this case, the broader AI industry will need to reckon with its implications. According to Ahmed, the suit underscores a growing appetite for clear boundaries – and legal consequences – when it comes to the reproduction of high-value IP. 'Having clarity around what uses are restricted would also give rights holders greater confidence in licensing their content for training,' he said. That clarity may be coming through court orders rather than negotiation tables – for now. But either way, the message is clear: AI companies that overlook copyright concerns may find themselves cast in a very expensive sequel.
