According to Cointelegraph, a bipartisan group of United States senators has proposed a bill that would ban unauthorized artificial intelligence (AI)-powered recreations of people's voices and images. The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act was introduced by Democratic Senators Chris Coons and Amy Klobuchar, along with Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and Thom Tillis. Under the act, companies or individuals that create an unauthorized AI replica of someone, living or dead, would be liable for damages, as would platforms that knowingly host unauthorized AI copycats. Penalties would start at $5,000 per violation.
The bill allows for limited uses of unauthorized AI replicas protected by the First Amendment, including those used for news, documentaries, or for "comment, criticism, scholarship, satire, or parody." The draft bill comes amid a surge in songs created with the help of AI tools that emulate artists, with hundreds hosted on streaming platforms such as YouTube and SoundCloud. AI-generated likenesses have also been a friction point in Hollywood actor strikes and negotiations, with the Screen Actors GuildâAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union backing the proposal.