#FreeAllWords: International Text and Translation Fund of the European Writers‘ Council (EWC) gives a voice to authors from Belarus and Ukraine
53 European Writers’ and Translators’ associations condemn the continued threats by US AI Tech Oligopolies on culture, authors’ rights, and freedom of expression
Oslo, EWC AGM, 25th May 2025
The 53 Member organisations of the European Writers’ Council (EWC), representing 250,000 writers and translators from 34 countries, urge all political decisionmakers to hold accountable AI companies whose profitable generative AI applications are built on the theft of millions of books written by our authors. Governments need to take a clear and unambiguous stand against the aggressive lobbying by AI Megatech, which is eroding the cultural and educational landscape and seriously undermining human rights, copyright, and freedom of expression. This is a threat to all of society, especially to younger and future generations.
The authors of Europe demand: stand firmly by the principle of ART: authorisation – remuneration – transparency.
EWC’ common declaration
The 53 European Writers’ and Translators’ organisations within the European Writers’ Council declared the following at EWC’s Annual General Assembly in Oslo on 25 May 2025:
We are deeply concerned by the exploitation of human creative labour and protected works by AI companies for their development of generative text, image or voice models, e.g. the illegal alleged usage of 7,5 million books works and 81 million scientific papers alone via the piracy website Library Genesis.
We express our deep dismay that the severe violations are not acknowledged by decisionmakers including the European Commission, nor politically debated on national or international level. Governments must hold Big AI Tech accountable for the mass infringement which results in billions of profits for Tech Companies. Without our creative work sustaining, nurturing and challenging the whole society, our long-standing efforts, research and professional development, none of the so-called innovative generative models would exist.
Demands of the authors of Europe
- The authors of Europe demand: Hold the exploiters accountable, demand full information about every title used, and make them pay for the unauthorised mass use.
- The authors of Europe demand: Stop playing copyright and innovation off against each other. It is not our rights that are the problem, but the reluctance to pay for the use of our work. Technical development and profit must not be at the expense of authors and artists. Accordingly, the EU AI Act, its Guidelines and Code of Practice, must be implemented in a faithful spirit to authors’ rights and transparency, rather than incorporating more and more unjustified advantages and exemptions from responsibility for AI companies.
- The authors of Europe demand: Preserve Europe’s sovereignty and digital independence and remain committed to stringent AI regulation that defends the rights of authors, artists and every individual. Tech feudalism is contagious.
The Statement was adopted by the EWC member associations at the EWC AGM, 25 May 2025, in Oslo.
About the European Writers’ Council (EWC)
The EWC is the world’s only and largest representation of writers in the book sector and of all genres (fiction, non-fiction, academic, children’s books, poetry, etc.). With 53 organisations and professional guilds from 34 countries of the EU, the EEA and of non-EU areas, the EWC represents 250.000 writers and translators, writing and publishing altogether in 37 languages. The EWC is the world’s leading federation for the defence of book authors’ rights since 1977.
europeanwriterscouncil.eu