Tennessee Is The First US State To Pass Legislation Shielding Musicians From AI


03/26/2024



Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill into law on recently that sought to shield creatives, including musicians, against artificial intelligence's unauthorised usage.
 
The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act is the name of the legislation.
 
The Reasons It Matters
 
Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been present in music-making since the 1950s, recent significant advances in generative AI, which allow machines to now perform like digital pop artists, have caused controversy in the industry. AI, according to many experts, creates ethical and legal questions.
 
Generative AI, which gained popularity last year thanks to the ChatGPT language system, may produce novel sounds, lyrics, or whole songs by itself; nonetheless, musicians frequently utilise more basic AI to improve their sound.
 
Important Quotes
 
The governor's office stated in a statement that the Tennessee legislation "protects songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals' voice from the misuse of artificial intelligence," updating Tennessee's personal rights protection law. opens new tab.
 
The governor's office reports that Tennessee's music sector fills over 4,500 music venues, sustains over 61,617 jobs statewide, and adds $5.8 billion to the state's GDP.
 
The previous legislation in Tennessee protected likeness, name, and image, but it did not address new, personalised generative AI cloning models and services that allow users to create unauthorised imitation works in the voice and image of others and enable human impersonation.
 
The Context
 
In general, the emergence of AI has sparked a number of other worries, such as the worry that technology can be used to subvert democracy, increase fraud, or cause job losses. Legislators in Europe are creating new restrictions regarding artificial intelligence, while the United States is lagging behind.
 
A divided U.S. Congress, with Republicans controlling the House of Representatives and Democrats controlling the Senate, has made little progress in enacting meaningful legislation despite the Democratic administration of U.S. President Joe Biden pressuring lawmakers for AI regulation.
 
(Source:www.theguardian.com)