NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In a first-of-its-kind bill , Tennessee lawmakers want to give singers more guard rails against artificial intelligence to ensure their voices can’t be used without their permission.
However, some testified the bill’s language is too broad and could have unintended consequences.
The “ELVIS Act” adds the word “voice” to Tennessee’s list of protected personal rights. State law currently protects the use of an individual’s name, photograph, and likeness.
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The name of the bill is an acronym for “ensuring, likeness, voice and image security” and the bill’s authors hope it will prevent someone from using a musician’s voice to make a song or content they didn’t make.
“I can’t use a celebrity’s recognizable voice to sell potato chips. That’s already on the books in some other states,” explained Vanderbilt University copyright and entertainment law professor Joseph Fishman.
“If I’m using a fake version of Drake’s voice or if Taylor Swift’s voice or of anybody else’s voice, not to sell a product, but as a fake song. This bill would target that in a way that other states don’t already.”