Lainey Wilson, one of the many artists urging Congress to pass the No Fakes Act, kicking off the U.S. leg of her Country’s Cool Again Tour. Photo Credit: Erick Frost
It’s time for Congress to establish federal AI soundalike and lookalike protections with the No Fakes Act – at least according to the Human Artistry Campaign and hundreds of involved creators.
This latest push for the No Fakes Act’s passage kicked off with an advert from the Human Artistry Campaign, which counts as members the RIAA, A2IM, and several others. In said advert, which was printed in Politico, the likes of 21 Savage, Billy Idol, Cardi B, Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Lee Greenwood, deadmau5, Common, Joe Walsh, Randy Travis, and many more expressed support for the legislation.
Besides arriving on the heels of California’s new SAG-AFTRA-backed AI laws, the current showing of No Fakes Act support has come about seven weeks after the bill’s formal introduction in Congress.
Short for the “Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act,” the proposed law dates back to October of 2023 and would, we covered in detail, establish a federal right protecting one’s voice and likeness.
In the interest of brevity – and though it perhaps goes without saying given the above-mentioned support and the continued prevalence of AI media – the music industry has strongly backed the bill from the outset. That includes a related April appearance before Congress from Warner Music head Robert Kyncl.
However, like with California’s five just-implemented AI laws, the No Fakes Act has attracted criticism as well. ReCreate Coalition executive director Brandon Butler, for instance, is of the belief that it “threatens free expression online” and “would create more problems for creativity and society than it solves.”
Running with the point, proponents of federal AI soundalike and lookalike regulations haven’t had an entirely smooth ride thus far. While it’s been out of the media spotlight for eight months, the No AI Fraud Act was introduced at the top of 2024 and, by the RIAA’s own description, “builds on” the No Fakes Act framework.
But with the seemingly more robust bill still stuck in committee despite a carefully coordinated support campaign, the focus has evidently shifted back to the No Fakes Act.
In keeping with the renewed focus, the Songwriters Guild of America, Music Creators North America, and the Society of Composers & Lyricists also reached out to DMN today, albeit with a letter they’d sent to four representatives.
This letter doesn’t mention the No Fakes Act by name, but thanks the lawmakers for their support in the AI space and other areas. (All three organizations are part of the Human Artistry Campaign in any event.)
Bigger picture, it’ll be interesting to see whether the developments spur a No Fakes Act vote in Congress. Worth highlighting on this front is that rightsholders and broadcasters (for obvious reasons, the latter strongly oppose the unauthorized AI-powered replication of voices and likenesses) seemingly find themselves on the same page here.
Possessing considerable legislative sway, broadcaster associations yesterday expressed support for the bill in a different open letter, touting it as “a step in the right direction.”
