Article content material
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Invoice Lee on Wednesday unveiled new laws designed to guard songwriters, performers and different music business professionals in opposition to the potential risks of synthetic intelligence.
Lee made the announcement whereas standing in the course of Nashville’s famed RCA Studio A, a location the place legends comparable to Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Charley Satisfaction have all recorded. Packed inside had been high music business leaders, songwriters and lawmakers, all desirous to reward the state’s wealthy musical historical past whereas additionally sounding the alarm concerning the threats AI poses.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Article content material
“Tennessee would be the first state within the nation to guard artists’ voices with this laws,” Lee mentioned. “And we hope will probably be a blueprint for the nation.”
The laws comes as states throughout the nation and federal lawmakers wrestle with the problem of curbing the hazards of AI. The invoice hasn’t been formally launched contained in the Tennessee Legislature and the textual content of the proposal has but to be publicly distributed.
Lee mentioned he needs to make sure that AI instruments can’t replicate an artist’s voice with out the artist’s consent. That includes turning to one of many state’s most iconic residents: Elvis Presley.
The loss of life of Presley in 1977 sparked a contentious and prolonged authorized battle over the unauthorized use of his title and likeness, as many argued that after a star died, their title and picture entered into the general public area.
Nevertheless, by 1984 the Tennessee Legislature handed the Private Rights Safety Act, which ensured that character rights don’t cease at loss of life and could be handed right down to others. It states that “the person rights … represent property rights and are freely assignable and licensable, and don’t expire upon the loss of life of the person so protected.”
Prime Tales
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
The transfer was largely seen as vital in defending Presley’s property, however has since been praised as defending the names, pictures and likenesses of all of Tennessee’s public figures within the many years since.
It additionally was monumental in preserving title, pictures and likeness as a property proper relatively than a proper of publicity. Up to now, solely two different states — New York and California — have comparable protections, making it simpler to hunt damages in court docket.
However no state at present has enacted protections in opposition to vocal likeness. And with AI posing a menace to virtually each business, artists and different creatives are more and more calling for stronger protections in opposition to new AI instruments that produce imagery, music, video and textual content.
“If a machine is ready to take one thing from somebody’s lifetime and expertise and re-create it with out permission, or take somebody’s voice and use it with out permission, let’s simply name it what it’s: It’s incorrect,” mentioned four-time Grammy-nominated songwriter Jamie Moore.
In the end, the objective is to make sure that AI instruments usually are not scraping and utilizing an artist’s music or voice to be able to learn to spit out a music itself with out the artist’s permission, mentioned Bart Herbison, govt director of the Nashville Songwriters Affiliation Worldwide. One other key facet is combating for correct fee.
Commercial 4
Article content material
Herbison mentioned he watched generative AI instruments advance from writing awkward songs in February of final yr to spitting out transferring and emotional items by October.
“What it will probably do now’s freaky scary. It’s all individuals can discuss within the author’s rooms,” he mentioned.
Different AI laws is anticipated to pop up throughout the nation as many statehouses resume work this month. Already in California, a lawmaker has proposed a measure requiring the state to determine security, privateness, and nondiscrimination requirements round generative-AI instruments and providers. These requirements would ultimately be used as {qualifications} in future state contracts. One other proposal has been launched to create a state-run analysis middle to additional examine the expertise.
On the federal stage, the U.S. Copyright Workplace is weighing whether or not to enact copyright reforms in response to generative AI. In the meantime, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has launched laws referred to as the No Synthetic Intelligence Faux Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act of 2024. Supporters say the measure will fight AI deepfakes, voice clones and different dangerous digital human impersonations.
Article content material