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Country music star Luke Bryan punches Governor Bill before Lee signed a bill on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mark Humphrey/AP
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Mark Humphrey/AP
Country music star Luke Bryan punches Governor Bill before Lee signed a bill on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mark Humphrey/AP
Tennessee made history Thursday by becoming the first U.S. state to pass legislation to protect musicians from unauthorized artificial intelligence spoofing.
“Tennessee (sic) is the music capital of the world and we are leading the nation with historic protections for TN artists and songwriters against emerging artificial intelligence technology,” said Governor Bill Lee. announced on social media.
The Ensuring Image and Voice Act, or ELVIS Act, is an updated version of the state’s old right of publicity law. While the old law protected an artist’s name, photograph or likeness, the new legislation includes specific AI protections.
Once the law goes into effect on July 1, people will be prohibited from using AI to imitate an artist’s voice without permission.
Lee signed the sign inside Robert’s Western World, Nashville’s famous honky tonk, where he met country music superstars Chris Janson and Luke Bryan.
“What an amazing precedent for Tennessee to take on this,” Bryan told the crowd.
“Knowing that our state protects us and who we are and what we work so hard for is just a testament to how great this state is.”
Tennessee has long been known as a musical powerhouse state, from country music to blues. The state has been a launching pad for the careers of some of the country’s biggest superstars, including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, BB King and Taylor Swift.
The state’s music industry supports more than 61,000 jobs and is home to more than 4,500 music venues, according to the governor’s office.
“From Beale Street to Broadway to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” Lee said in a news release. about the bill when it was introduced in January.
“As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, I thank the General Assembly for its partnership in creating legal protections for our greatest artists and songwriters.”
Policymakers have been struggling to keep up with the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence technology, as it continues to impact multiple industries. In the music industry, songwriters, singers and producers have expressed concern about the current lack of protection of aspects such as copyright and intellectual property.
Last year, music fans responded in disbelief after an anonymous TikTok user used AI to simulate the voices of artists Drake and The Weeknd to create the viral song “Heart on My Sleeve.” The owner of the artists’ label, Universal Music Group, invoked copyright violation to remove the song from platforms such as TikTok, Spotify and YouTube.
While largely considered a threat, producers have also been using the technology to make some impressive advances.
It was artificial intelligence tools that made it possible for The Beatles to release what they called their last song, “Now and Then”, which was published in November 2023. The artist Grimes also encouraged the use of artificial intelligence in the creation of songs. , going so far as to encourage creators to use AI-generated versions of his voice to make new music, offering to split 50% of the royalties for any successful hits.