The proposed legislation is the first of its kind in the U.S., as no other state has enacted protections against vocal likeness. The move comes as AI poses increasing threats to various industries, with creatives calling for stronger protections against AI tools that produce imagery, music, video, and text without permission. Other states are expected to introduce similar AI legislation, with the U.S. Copyright Office also considering copyright reforms in response to generative AI.
Key takeaways:
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has announced new legislation aimed at protecting music industry professionals from the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), making it the first state to do so.
- The legislation aims to prevent AI tools from replicating an artist’s voice without their consent, drawing on the state's history of protecting personality rights even after death.
- While other states like New York and California have similar protections for names, photographs, and likenesses, no state has yet enacted protections against vocal likeness.
- Other AI legislation is expected to emerge across the country, with measures being proposed to establish safety, privacy, and nondiscrimination standards around generative-AI tools and services.