A new bill artificial intelligence The deepfake campaign, spearheaded by a bipartisan group of senators, is bringing together actors, studios, and tech companies.
The No Fakes Act, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, is a revised version of a previous discussion draft introduced last fall to target digital deepfakes and protect the equality of actors (and average citizens).
“Game over for AI imposters! Ensuring protection against unauthorized digital replicas as a federal intellectual property right will keep us all safer in this brave new world,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement. on the association’s website“Especially for artists whose livelihood depends on their image and brand, this move is a huge win!”
He thanked Senator Coons, as well as other supporters of the bill, including Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
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SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said the No Fakes Act is “a huge win” for everyone, “especially for performers whose livelihoods depend on their image and brand.” (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, told Fox News Digital, “I think it’s always been Senator Coons’ view, and it’s certainly been our view as well, that all the key stakeholders in the process should be consulted before the bill is formally introduced, because it’s very difficult to get legislation passed in Washington, especially right now. And we felt that if all the concerns and issues could actually be heard, we would have the best chance of getting something enacted. And from our perspective, that’s absolutely critical. The time is now, and it’s desperately needed.”
The Motion Picture Association, which represents several major studios, including Netflix, Sony, Paramount, Universal, Disney and others. Warner Bros, also praised the bill.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, told Fox News Digital that the bill has been revised to take into account “all key stakeholders.” (Tom Cooper/Getty Images for SeriesFest)
“We support protecting artists from generative AI misuse — and this bill thoughtfully establishes federal protections against harmful uses of digital reproductions, while respecting First Amendment rights and creative freedom,” MPA President and CEO Charles Rivkin said in a statement. on the organisation’s website,
“This is absolutely vital. The time is now and it’s much needed.”
The MPA was initially hesitant about the wording of the original bill, and said in a statement when it was introduced last year that they looked forward to working with senators on the bill “without infringing on the First Amendment rights and creative freedoms our industry depends on.”
Crabtree-Ireland said, “I think the RIAA was involved from the earliest days in bringing about the MPAA. … I think it was the combination of all of those factors that led us to what I consider to be an unprecedented level of support for any legislation affecting the entertainment industry.”
AI expert Marva Baller said that Tech companiesCompanies like OpenAI and IBM also have a stake in supporting this bill.
WATCH: AI experts explain why tech companies are in favor of Hollywood-backed AI legislation
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“Some people might be surprised to learn that technology companies, motion picture organizations, professional associations and producers are actually in favor of this bill,” he told Fox News Digital. “So, Open AI or Disney or IBM Alliance WatsonX, why would they be interested? Well, it’s because it’s going to put some safeguards around the established market. And what’s happening with these deepfakes is that people are creating an alternative market. And this alternative market has no regulations and no monetization.”
Koons’ A summary of the bill is available on the websiteIt specifies that “a person or company will be held liable for damages for creating, hosting, or sharing a digital replica of a person acting in an audiovisual work, image, or sound recording in which that person never actually appeared or was not otherwise approved – including digital replicas created by generative artificial intelligence (AI).”
“I mean, SAG-AFTRA, the MPA, the RIAA, OpenAI, all supporting a law that’s relevant to the entertainment industry, but goes way beyond the entertainment industry, of course, is a remarkable thing.”
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Proposed penalties include a $5,000 fine plus damages and removal of the digital reproduction. Offenders can also be subject to civil action, which could see them pay $5,000 for each unauthorized reproduction of a work if they are an online service, and $25,000 for a non-online offender, such as a studio.
“I think the most important thing is to actually get something enacted, because this is a problem that is affecting people right now, and it is really very real,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “And I’ve spoken to dozens of our members who have been personally affected by this. I’ve been personally affected by this. I was deepfaked myself last year during our contract ratification process at the end of the TV theater strike last year, someone made a video of me saying false things about the contract, urging people to vote against the contract that I had negotiated. They put it on social media like Instagram, and thousands of people saw it, and there was no way to ring that bell back. So I think there’s a need that’s definitely being faced by our members and people far, far away.”
WATCH: Legal experts explain how the No Fakes Act was changed to include studios
Rosenberg cited the recent case of a Maryland school principal who was accused of alleged fraud. Racist comments fueled by AI deepfakesHe highlighted that the bill is “not just limited to celebrities.”
“So you don’t need to establish that someone’s voice or their image has any commercial value to fall under the Act.”
Scarlett Johansson is one of the many stars who has had to deal with deepfakes. (Paolo Blocko/FilmMagic)
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He added, “The stories we hear about deepfakes, there are certainly bad stories and there are stories that are affecting individuals. But I do agree that there’s a lot of good, too. And by having provisions like these safe harbors, it allows the technology to grow and evolve.”
Bailer felt similarly and said the importance of the bill was in establishing “transparency.”
“So nobody is saying, ‘Oh, AI is not going to happen. We have to stop it.’ They want to understand where AI is being used, and they want permission. And what we really need to keep an eye on is the alternatives market. And what that means is we’re looking at these actual brands where they’re licensing, through contracts, their image and likeness.” The Elvis Experience And the Kiss experience and the ABBA experience. And it’s very exciting.”
While protections have been put in place for writers and actors following last year’s strike, SAG-AFTRA is still grappling with the impact of AI on other forms of entertainment.
SAG-AFTRA is on strike for video game performers after more than a year and a half of negotiations. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
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The union is currently on strike on behalf of its video game performers after more than a year and a half of negotiations.
“While agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers are refusing to put clear and enforceable language in their AI language to protect all performers covered by this agreement.” This information has been given on the SAG-AFTRA website.
WATCH: SAG-AFTRA rep explains why last year’s ‘devastating’ Hollywood strikes were ‘necessary’
Regarding the current strike, Crabtree-Ireland said she hopes the no-fakes bill, if passed, will establish a “mosaic of protections.”
Reflecting on the previous strike that shut down Hollywood for nearly six months last year, Crabtree-Ireland said, “Our members suffered. Other workers in the industry suffered. The industry suffered. It was necessary at the time. I wish it hadn’t happened. I mean, for me, when I look at the final agreement, I think the companies could have made this deal with us on July 12, and this whole thing could have been avoided, and yet they refused. And so that’s very disappointing. On the other hand, it was necessary that we get out of the way before the implementation of AI. If we were trying to negotiate this when the industry had already started using it at a large scale, it would have been impossible to really put that genie back in the bottle. And so I feel really good that we successfully anticipated this challenge.”
Reflecting on last year’s strikes, Crabtree-Ireland said that while they were “devastating,” they were “necessary at the time.” (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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He added, “This is a fight for survival and that’s why we’re fighting this with video game companies right now. Because if we wait three years, it’ll be too late. It’ll have gone too far and we won’t be able to turn it back. So, this is a fight for the future of our members’ careers and more fundamentally than that.”
