Tennessee has approved a new act aimed at protecting musicians from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes. The Ensuring Likeness Voice And Image Security (ELVIS) bill has been introduced to protect artists’ images and voices from unauthorised manipulation. Deepfakes are media files generated using AI that manipulate a person’s image, typically to simulate words or actions that the individual did not actually say or perform.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee approved the legislation at the popular music venue, Robert’s Western World. Speaking about the new bill, Lee stated, “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, I thank the General Assembly for its partnership in creating legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters. From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state.”
The Elivs Act will aim to safeguard the intellectual property of musicians and artists who have experienced unauthorised misuse of their music or media files. American Idol judge, Luke Bryan, and country artist Chris Janson, were also in attendance to support the bill, with Bryan stating that the ELVIS act represents a precedent for the State of Tennessee in terms of protecting local artists.
The move comes after several US politicians have argued that new legislation must be put in place to prevent individuals from misusing deepfakes. These calls for measures to prevent deepfakes follow the widespread circulation of manipulated images of Taylor Swift generated using AI that appeared on social networking sites in January
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