Created by Humans

Created by Humans envisions a future where human creativity is not only preserved but empowered in the age of artificial intelligence. We are building a platform that bridges the gap between creators and AI developers, ensuring that creative works remain protected, respected, and fairly monetized in a world increasingly influenced by AI training technologies.

Our mission is to advocate for transparency, ethics, and author-centric control in AI licensing, enabling creators to confidently contribute to AI advancements without compromising their rights. By validating and licensing creative content, we foster a new ecosystem where human originality and AI innovation coexist and fuel each other.

We believe this pivotal moment in technology demands novel approaches to protect and elevate uniquely human talents. Created by Humans is committed to shaping a future where creativity thrives through collaboration between artists, authors, and AI innovators, securing a sustainable creative economy for generations to come.

We'll be honest—when we first heard about Created by Humans, we thought it might be another startup trying to cash in on the AI hype. But after digging deeper, we found something genuinely thoughtful: a platform that's actually trying to solve one of AI's messiest problems.

The company tackles the thorny issue of AI training on copyrighted content without permission. Instead of creators watching helplessly as their work gets scraped into AI models, Created by Humans lets them license it properly and get paid for it.

The Founder Knows This Space

Trip Adler isn't some random tech bro jumping on trends. As Scribd's former CEO, he's spent years in digital publishing and understands creators' pain points. That experience shows in the platform's design—it's built for authors who want control, not tech companies looking for cheap data.

The timing makes sense too. With lawsuits flying between publishers and AI companies, there's real demand for a legitimate licensing marketplace.

What Actually Works Here

The platform does two smart things. First, it validates that works are actually human-created (not AI-generated), which matters more than you'd think. Second, it gives creators granular control—they can license for AI training, reference use, or both.

We're particularly impressed by their partnership with The Authors Guild. Getting 14,000+ professional writers behind your platform isn't easy, and it signals serious industry credibility.

The Money Story

With $5.5 million from heavy hitters like David Sacks and Garry Tan, Created by Humans isn't just another bootstrap experiment. The investor lineup suggests they see real potential in ethical AI licensing.

Plus, having Walter Isaacson as both an investor and advisor? That's the kind of backing that opens doors in publishing circles.

Room to Grow

Right now, the focus is squarely on authors and books. That makes sense for launch, but we're curious how quickly they'll expand into video, music, and other creative formats. The opportunity is massive, but so is the complexity of rights management across different media types.

Overall, Created by Humans feels like one of the more genuine attempts to make AI development more ethical. Whether creators will actually embrace licensing over litigation remains to be seen, but the foundation is solid.