Assembly Bill 1836, which aims to control the use of AI-generated digital copies, was passed by the California Senate. This is a groundbreaking step to protect the likenesses of dead artists. This new law makes it illegal to use AI to make copies of a dead person’s voice or look without getting permission from their estate first.
The bill says that anyone who wants to make or share digital copies of a dead person must first get approval from the people who own the rights to those images. People who break the law will have to pay big fines, up to $10,000 or the full amount of the damage the rights owner suffered. The goal of this rule is to protect artists’ legacy and image by stopping unapproved AI recreations that could change how they are portrayed.
The bill says that a digital replica is any computer-made image or sound recording that is very close to the real thing. It can be used in sound records, pictures, or video shows. The crime includes changes made by AI that show the person in ways that are different from their real life or work, like showing actions or acts that never happened.
The bill has the backing of groups like SAG-AFTRA, which fights for the rights of performers. It now needs to be signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. People are very worried about how AI is being used wrongly in the entertainment business, so this law comes at a very important time. Using AI to make copies of actors’ faces was a major problem in the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, so Hollywood has been very loud about it. The union has been working hard to get better protections for actors’ digital identities so that both live and dead performers can control how they are used.
This bill comes after a number of high-profile examples of AI being used to “revive” dead artists, such as the use of AI to recreate Elvis Presley in a live performance and the release of a Beatles song with John Lennon’s voice after his death. As AI keeps getting better, California’s legal efforts are a big step toward making sure that this technology is used in entertainment in a moral way.
