A bill to halt the distribution of artificial intelligence-created likenesses has been introduced in the United States Senate, with companies like YouTube and OpenAI voicing support.
The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act would protect voices and likenesses from unauthorised recreations made by AI tools, known as deepfakes. The bill was sponsored by both Democratic and Republican legislators, and could hold individuals, companies, and online platforms liable for deepfakes.
“Americans from all walks of life are increasingly seeing AI being used to create deepfakes in ads, images, music, and videos without their consent,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, a co-sponsor of the bill. “We need our laws to be as sophisticated as this quickly advancing technology. The bipartisan NO FAKES Act will establish rules of the road to protect people from having their voice and likeness replicated through AI without their permission.”
The bill has been backed by companies like YouTube and organisations like the Recording Academy. “We're proud to support this important legislation, which tackles the growing problem of harm associated with unauthorised digital replicas: AI-generated content simulating a person’s image or voice that can be used to mislead or misrepresent,” said YouTube.
The NO FAKES Act would create federally recognised intellectual property rights to names, likenesses, and voices, which are currently protected at the state level in the U.S. These rights would expire 70 years after an individual’s death, with exemptions included for news, criticism, and satire.
Under the bill, individuals and companies could be held liable for distributing an unauthorised deepfake. Online platforms may also be held liable for hosting a deepfake, if they are aware that the likeness is unauthorised.
Other supporters include OpenAI, major music companies Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music, actors guild SAG-AFTRA, and IBM.
The NO FAKES Act was initially introduced as a draft bill in 2023, and first formally brought to the Senate in 2024. The version of the bill proposed this week would include additional protections for free speech, according to co-sponsor Senator Chris Coons.
YouTube also said it would expand its program that identifies AI-generated likenesses on the platform, with high-profile YouTube creators like MrBeast and Marques Brownlee now testing the technology. YouTube has not yet provided a wide release date for the program.
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