# WGA East partners with Cloak to block AI training on writers' work

Digest AI · Policy & Regulation · published 2026-10-20T09:01:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/wga-east-partners-with-cloak-to-block-ai-training-on-writers-work

## Summary

The Writers Guild of America, East announced a partnership with Cloak, a software that encrypts files so they remain readable to humans but illegible to AI models. The tool will be offered for free to WGAE members as part of the union’s benefits, while non‑member writers can add protection for a $10 fee on top of existing registration costs.

Cloak’s founder Rishi Ambavanekar said the service gives writers agency over their content, preventing unwanted AI training, notes, or analysis. The startup, founded in September 2025 and backed by Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun accelerator and the University of Pennsylvania, claims its tests block Anthropic’s Claude up to Fable 5.1, Google’s Gemini up to 3.8, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT up to GPT‑6 Astra, as well as automated summaries from Google Drive, Gmail, and Adobe Acrobat. WGA East president Tom Fontana and AI Task Force co‑chair Larry J. Cohen highlighted the partnership as an extension of the guild’s push for contractual and legislative safeguards against AI exploitation of creative work.

## Key points

- WGA East provides Cloak encryption free to members; non‑members pay $10 to add protection.
- Cloak claims to block AI training by Claude (Fable 5.1), Gemini (3.8), and GPT‑6 Astra.
- Cloak founded Sep 2025, backed by Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun and the University of Pennsylvania.

## Why it matters

Union‑backed encryption could force AI developers to respect consent, shaping industry norms and influencing future regulation of data use.

## Sources

1. [WGA East Moves to Block AI Models from Training on Members’ Work with New Software Partner Cloak: ‘Give Agency Back to Writers’](https://yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/wga-east-moves-block-ai-160000204.html) (yahoo.com, 2026-10-20)

## Cite

Digest AI, "WGA East partners with Cloak to block AI training on writers' work", 20 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/wga-east-partners-with-cloak-to-block-ai-training-on-writers-work

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