No Fakes Act

Y COMBINATOR: "Generative AI is going to replace actors."

POLICYMAKERS: "Um, no."

A bipartisan bill called the No Fakes Act is currently working its way through the US Congress to create a federal law safeguarding actors, musicians and performers from unauthorized digital replicas of their faces and voices.

The bill standardizes rules around the use of individuals' faces, names, and voices, preventing the production of digital replicas without consent.

The No Fakes Act, introduced by Senators. Chris Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), "would prevent a person from producing or distributing an unauthorized AI-generated replica of an individual to perform in an audiovisual or sound recording without the consent of the individual being replicated," according to the announcement.

While this sounds like something out of the far future, it's a very real and current issue.

Earlier this year (2023), an anonymous artist, Ghostwriter, created a song using AI to recreate the voices of Drake and The Weeknd without their knowledge. 

One of the reasons why SAG-AFTRA went on strike was a proposal from the studios that would scan the likenesses of background actors and use their AI-generated replicas without pay or consent. 

The rapid and widespread adoption of generative AI has lawmakers scrambling to address its potentially harmful implications.

If the bill is passed, whoever uses an "unauthorized replication" would be liable for damages.

Here's a picture of the real Drake with one of his Grammy Awards - before he used it as a cup to get his drink on.

More unpackaging here:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/12/23914915/ai-replicas-likeness-law-no-fakes-copyright

https://www.coons.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/no_fakes_act_draft_text.pdf

https://mashable.com/article/drake-weeknd-ai-song-controversy

https://mashable.com/article/sag-aftra-actors-strike-ai-streaming