The Hollywood Reporter
By Ethan Millman and Katie Kilkenny
A bipartisan group of senators has reintroduced legislation aimed at taking on unauthorized uses of voices and likenesses for AI-generated deepfakes, gaining support from stakeholders in the entertainment and tech industries.
Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) reintroduced the NO FAKES (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe) Act on Wednesday alongside Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1) and Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large) nearly a year after the bill was first introduced last July. Entertainment organizations like SAG-AFTRA, the RIAA and the MPA had voiced their support of the bill last time, and the newly reintroduced bill has also drawn support from the likes of YouTube and OpenAI.
The bill would establish a federal right for every American to their voice and visual likeness, a particularly sought-after distinction for famous actors and recording artists. Per a press release, the bill also requires “promptly removing unauthorized deepfakes” from UGC platforms. The onus would be on individuals to notify platforms about the use of unauthorized deepfakes.
In a press conference Wednesday, backers emphasized that the bill was supported by a bipartisan coalition, with Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) underlining that “this is not about politics.” The Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charlie Rivkin called the proposed legislation a “reminder that Congress and our community can come together to do big things for the good of creators and for all Americans.”
The bill strives to offer both regular Americans and superstars rights to their voices and likenesses, providing them the opportunity to hold both infringers and platforms liable. But a couple of celebrities were on hand Wednesday to offer their thoughts on how the proposed regulation could help their communities.
Country and gospel singer-songwriter Randy Travis, who has suffered aphasia after a stroke in 2013, raised the point that AI can help singers like him to record new music, as he did in 2024 in one of the first commercial recordings to feature AI-cloned vocals. In remarks delivered by his wife, Mary, Travis said his recent recordings, enabled by new technology, “are very different from someone else stealing my voice and producing music, music that I never participated in or authorized … no one should be allowed to put words in someone else’s mouth or depict them doing something they never did.”
Actor Fran Drescher, who also serves as president of actors union SAG-AFTRA, conveyed her own concerns. “When the evildoers are actually trying to put words into my mouth that I never said, that goes against my moral compass and everything I stand for, that’s where the rubber meets the road,” she said. “It’s time to define what’s right and what’s wrong.”
AI deepfakes have grown increasingly common as the technology has improved and gotten more accessible to the general public, as evidenced as recently as February in a viral video depicting deepfakes of David Schwimmer, Jerry Seinfeld and Scarlett Johansson deploring Kanye West for his stream of antisemitic comments.
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it,” Johansson said back in February in a statement about the video. “We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
Joining the legislators in person to commend the bill were Rivkin, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., Drescher, RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier, YouTube global head of artists Vivien Lewit, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl and Travis.
“This bill reflects what can happen when tech and creative industries come together — foster cutting edge innovation while protecting human identity and artistry,” Kyncl said in a statement. “We look forward to working with key members of the US Senate and House to help pass the NO FAKES Act this year.”
“This bill proves that we can prioritize the growth of AI and protecting American creativity at the same time,” Glazier said in a statement. “We applaud Senators Blackburn, Coons, Tillis and Klobuchar; Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Balint and bipartisan colleagues for their incredible leadership on driving this legislation that provides balanced and effective protections for all individuals against exploitative uses of their voice and likeness while supporting free speech, reducing litigation and achieving the promise of AI technology.”
During the Wednesday press conference, policymakers emphasized that they think they can get the bill passed this time. Klobuchar pointed out that her bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act addressing nonconsensual porn, including that which is deepfaked, is on the road to getting passed, suggesting that offered hope for the NO FAKES Act. Coons said stakeholders would not be present without the will to “move this forward.”
And in her remarks, Blackburn emphasized that everyone present wanted to get the bill “across the finish line.” She added, “There is so much momentum on this.”