Performers union SAG-AFTRA is celebrating a key victory this week: the passage of a bill that would regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the local entertainment industry.
The California Senate on Tuesday passed Assembly Bill 2602, a measure that would prohibit employers from using AI-generated digital replicas in lieu of human performers under certain circumstances.
If the bill is signed into law, employers would not be allowed to use an AI version of a performer’s voice or likeness if such usage replaces work that the performer could have done in person; if the contract of employment doesn’t specify how the digital replica will be used (provided that usage deviates from already agreed-upon terms); and if the performer did not have legal or union representation when the deal was made.
The bill, approved 37 to 1, is now headed to the governor’s office, where Gavin Newsom will decide whether to sign it into law.
“We are thrilled that one of our top legislative priorities, bill AB 2602, has passed in the state of California,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.