LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Country music star Lainey Wilson is used to being on stage, but her audience looked a lot different Friday.
The singer-songwriter testified before the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet in downtown Los Angeles to discuss problems artificial intelligence poses to entertainers.
The hearing examined how Congress can support innovation in AI applications and address the growing concerns about the misuse of the technology, especially in regards to people’s likeness, voice, and other identifying characteristics.
Wilson shared her insight, saying a company used AI to falsely claim she endorses weight loss gummies.
“I do not have to tell you how much of a gut-punch it is to have your name, your likeness, or your voice ripped from you and used in ways that you can never imagine or would never allow,” she said during Friday’s hearing. “It is wrong.”
A panel of AI experts from both the entertainment industry and companies leading the AI revolution also sat before the subcommittee.
Members of Congress are currently trying to figure out where to draw legal lines when it comes to how people use artificial intelligence in the entertainment world.
“Robots should not be subject to free speech. I cannot even believe I have to say that out loud,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican.
Last month, pornographic deepfake images of Taylor Swift began circulating online, spurring a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce a bill that would make non-consensual, sexual deepfakes illegal.
The deepfake-detecting group Reality Defender says it tracked a deluge of nonconsensual pornographic material depicting Swift, particularly on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Some images also made their way to Meta-owned Facebook and other social media platforms.
House subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa said a slew of AI-related legislation is on the way.
“Dozens of pieces that may come together into one large bill, but they’ll each address different parts of the rights and remedies for those who create the pieces of art, the writings, the things that make our lives better,” he said.
But the approach to AI is not all negative.
The Recording Academy President and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said it’ll be putting the technology to work for the whole world to see.
“This year, the Academy announced a new partnership with IBM that will use generative AI to create customized content before and during the 66th Grammy Awards this weekend,” he said.
You can watch the full hearing here.
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