Tue, May 28, 2024
Senators are pushing to introduce a bill as early as June that would set rules governing the use of artificial intelligence in the music and movie industries, an effort that coincides with new AI tensions roiling Hollywood.
The NO FAKES Act — which stands for Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe — is a bipartisan proposal that would stop individuals or companies from using AI to produce an unauthorized digital replica of their likeness or their voice.
The lead sponsor is Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee.
He and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are still hashing out details with artists, the recording industry and the movie industry, according to Senate aides.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), the lead sponsor of the NO FAKES Act.
Photo: REUTERS/Al Drago (REUTERS / Reuters
“We’re going to have to do a national AI bill or the world will not be the same as we know it,” Klobuchar said.
“Songwriters, actors, and our incredibly talented creative community deserve the right to own their voice, image, and likeness,” added Blackburn, the leading Republican on the bill.
The concerns about the effect of AI on the entertainment industry intensified this past week due to a conflict between actress Scarlett Johansson and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
She accused OpenAI of using an “eerily similar” voice to hers for its new chatbot even though she turned down the company’s request to use her voice. OpenAI has since scrapped using the voice but did not indicate why.
Music artists are also increasingly concerned there is little protection for their own names, likenesses, and voices being used to create AI-generated songs.
Singers Ariana Grande and Lainey Wilson are among those who have already had their voices mimicked without their permission, while last year an anonymous artist put out a song called “Heart on my Sleeve” that falsely impersonated the voices of Drake and The Weeknd.
“The toothpaste is out of the tube already,” said musician Sheryl Crow earlier this month while attending an annual lobbying push in Washington known as Grammys on the Hill.
“We’re going to have to try to figure out some way to create parameters and guardrails. We’ve seen artists already whose voices have been used after they’ve passed on. We’re also seeing artists being used when they have nothing to do with something that’s been put out, and that’s terrifying.”
There are some major questions for Senators to hammer out before any national AI bill can be considered for a vote.