Congress has joined the fight against the deepfakes that have plagued the entertainment industry in recent years with the NO FAKES Act, which has been introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
The bill would enact strong penalties against those who create and distribute deepfakes intended to mislead the public, an initiative that’s gained strong support from many corners of the music world. The NO FAKES Act is described as a measure that respects the use of AI while erecting clear guardrails and ensuring real accountability for those who reject the path of responsibility and consent.
Some states have already enacted similar legislation, including Tennessee with its ELVIS Act. The new bill offers platforms the opportunity to remove deepfakes without penalty if they were taken down after notification.
“The NO FAKES Act is a major step forward in our fight to ensure that AI is used ethically and equitably to enhance creativity, not to exploit or replace it,” says Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “We urge the Senate to act quickly to pass it.”
Other recording-industry voices have also weighed in today, including RIAA Chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier, who said, “As the music community embraces pro-artist, human-first uses of AI, the NO FAKES Act represents a huge step forward for smart, effective guardrails against irresponsible and unethical uses of these technologies. By returning to first principles and creating an enforceable new intellectual property right, the legislation lays the foundation for free market negotiations that will propel both innovation and safety forward in AI, not just for artists but for everyone.”
“By creating a new federal right, this legislation will provide a meaningful new tool to put artists back in control of their identity and creative expression,” said a Sony Music statement. Offered Universal Music Group, “The NO FAKES Act is landmark legislation to help foster ‘responsible AI,’ under which generative AI can fulfill its potential ethically while cracking down on deepfakes and other misuses of individuals’ rights over their own voice and visual likeness.”
“Together with some of the industry’s top leaders, like the RIAA, SAG-AFTRA, MAC, SONA and ARA, we hope to protect and fight for the intellectual rights and visual likenesses of the entertainment industry and prevent the threat of unfair replication,” said Black Music Action Coalition co-founder/CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers. “Salute to Senators Coons, Blackburn, Tillis and Klobuchar for their leadership in introducing this bill.”