Bipartisan U.S Senators Propose a Bill Against Unauthorized AI Replicas

By: Eva Baxter

The US Senators group including Senator Chris Coons, Senator Amy Klobuchar, along with Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator Thom Tillis are proposing a new bill named the 'Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act'. This act aims to protect individuals' likeness from being misused by Artificial Intelligence for unauthorized purposes. The propagation of unauthorized AI replicas is becoming increasingly concerning, especially in the entertainment industry where AI has been used to mimic voices, images, and even styles of popular figures.

Regarding the NO FAKES Act, generating unauthorized AI replications of individuals, living or deceased, and hosting such content on any platform will be liable for penalties starting from $5000. However, it is to be noted that this bill will uphold the rights provided under the First Amendment, permitting the usage of AI replicas for news, commentary, criticism, scholarships, and parodies.

The concerns over AI misusage aren't unwarranted as the surge in AI-assisted songs and images on platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud is significant. An example to showcase this is 'ghostwriter977', an anonymous user on TikTok, whose track using AI vocals of artists Drake and The Weeknd went viral. This unauthorized usage of artists' vocals has since been removed from the platform.

As the proposed bill progresses, it is seen as a hopeful move towards regulating the use of AI while ensuring a balanced approach to foster creativity in using AI. Senator Blackburn, Senator coons, and others believe that this is a first step to proclaim the rights of creatives over their name, image, and likeness.