California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills to protect the likenesses of performers from being imitated by artificial intelligence digital replicas.
Two bills supported by SAG-AFTRA, AB 2602 and AB 1836, were passed by the California Legislature in August and are part of a series of state-level artificial intelligence regulations. AB 2602 bans contract terms that allow companies to use digital versions of performers instead of live actors on projects unless the performers know exactly how their digital doubles will be used and have an attorney or union representative involved.
AB 1836 requires entertainment companies to obtain permission from a performer’s family or estate to make or distribute “digital copies” of a performer if they die. The law says the reproductions do not fall under an exemption that allows artwork to represent people’s likenesses without permission, ending hollywood reporter Considered a potential vulnerability for artificial intelligence companies.
“We make sure no one has their name, image and likeness passed on to unrepresented miscreants,” Newsom said in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, in which he spoke with the Screen Actors Guild and the Television Traders Association. (SAG-AFTRA) Chairman Fran Drescher together.
The signing of both bills could bode well for the fate of arguably the AI industry’s biggest legal disruption: California’s SB 1047, currently sitting on Newsom’s desk awaiting his decision. SAG-AFTRA also publicly supports SB 1047.
