Congress Takes Aim At A.I. Deepfakes With The No AI FRAUD Act

WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — On Wednesday, House Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA) introduced the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications (No AI FRAUD) Act, seeking to protect Americans from having their voice and likeness simulated by A.I.

“It’s time for bad actors using AI to face the music,” said Rep. Salazar (R-FL). “This bill plugs a hole in the law and gives artists and U.S. citizens the power to protect their rights, their creative work, and their fundamental individuality online.”

The proposed legislation comes in response to the rise of large language model A.I. systems that have enabled convincing human impersonation and allow users to make unauthorized fakes using the images and voices of others.

In 2023, the music industry was rattled when “Heart on My Sleeve,” an A.I.-generated song using voices similar to Drake and The Weeknd went viral before being removed from music streaming platforms.

The bill addresses a number of key areas:

Ensuring that everyone’s likeness and voice are protected, and giving people the right to control the use of their identifying characteristics.

Create mechanisms for individuals to enforce this right against those who facilitate, create, and spread AI fraud without their permission.

Ensuring that First Amendment rights are maintained, protecting both free speech and innovation.

“Not only does our bill protect artists and performers, but it gives all Americans the tools to protect their digital personas,” said Rep. Dean (D-PA). “By shielding individuals’ images and voices from manipulation, the No AI FRAUD Act prevents artificial intelligence from being used for harassment, bullying, or abuse. I am encouraged to see collaboration across the aisle to get these crucial protections passed.”

“As artificial intelligence continues to develop, we are increasingly aware of the complex challenges that come with safeguarding intellectual property,” said Rep. Moran (R-TX). “The No AI FRAUD Act takes an important step forward to protect American innovation by preventing cloning, impersonation, and AI fakes from undermining artistic expression.”

The proposed legislation was supported by stakeholders in the music industry such as the RIAA.

“The No AI FRAUD Act is a meaningful step towards building a safe, responsible and ethical AI ecosystem, and the RIAA applauds Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Morelle, and Wittman for leading in this important area. To be clear, we embrace the use of AI to offer artists and fans new creative tools that support human creativity. But putting in place guardrails like the No AI FRAUD Act is a necessary step to protect individual rights, preserve and promote the creative arts, and ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of generative AI. As decades of innovation have shown, when Congress establishes strong IP rights that foster market-led solutions, it results in both driving innovation and supporting human expression and partnerships that create American culture,” RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The most unique and foundational aspects of any person’s individuality should never be misappropriated or used without consent. We applaud Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Morelle, and Wittman’s forward-thinking No AI FRAUD Act as a massive step forward in protecting people, culture, and art – while also urging other policymakers to follow their lead to shield us all from voice, image and likeness manipulation. Timely action is critical as irresponsible AI platforms are being used to launch deepfake and voice impersonation models depicting individuals doing and saying things they never have or would. This not only has the potential to harm these artists, their livelihoods and reputations, but also degrades societal trust. There has never been a more important time for our leaders to demand responsible and ethical AI that works for people – not against them,” added Dr. Moiya McTier, senior advisor for the Human Artistry Campaign.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCam5OawLR6wqikaGpgZ4FwfJBoaGlnk6S7qL7ErKpmrJGgsrR5wKKkZpmkYq5utYydnJ6olpa4pr%2BMsKCtoF2ptaZ5zahkmqFdm7%2BiwcNmmJysXw%3D%3D