Senators Circulate Draft Bill for Protecting Entertainers Against AI Fakes

A bipartisan group of senators is circulating draft legislation to protect entertainers against unauthorized digital replicas created by AI technology. Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., introduced a discussion draft on their Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe (No Fakes) Act. The No Fakes Act would hold individuals, companies and platforms liable for creating and hosting such content. Actor Tom Hanks and musicians Drake and the Weekend objected to recent AI-generated content using their likenesses online. “Creators around the nation are calling on Congress to lay out clear policies regulating the use and impact of generative AI, and Congress must strike the right balance to defend individual rights, abide by the First Amendment, and foster AI innovation and creativity,” Coons said in a statement. Blackburn called it a “good first step in protecting our creative community.” The Motion Picture Association said it looks forward to working with sponsors to “ensure any eventual legislation establishes adequate protections against harmful uses of digital replicas without infringing on the First Amendment rights and creative freedoms upon which our industry depends.”