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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed into law legislation designed to protect songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals from the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
The measure makes Tennessee, long known as the birthplace of country music and the launching pad for musical legends, the first U.S. state to enact such measures. Supporters say the goal is to ensure that AI tools cannot replicate an artist’s voice without her consent. The bill goes into effect on July 1.
“We employ more people in Tennessee in the music industry than in any other state,” Lee told reporters shortly after signing the bill into law. “Artists have intellectual property. They have gifts. They have a uniqueness that is theirs and theirs alone, certainly not artificial intelligence.”
The Voluntary State is only one of three states where name, photographs and likeness are considered a property right rather than a right of publicity. Under the newly signed statute, called the Image, Voice and Image Safety Guarantee Act or “ELVIS Act,” vocal image will now be added to that list.
AP correspondent Margie Szaroleta reports on the Tennessee law protecting musicians in the age of artificial intelligence.
The law also creates a new civil action in which people can be held liable if they publish or perform an individual’s voice without permission, as well as if they use technology to produce the name, photographs, voice or likeness of an individual. artist without proper authorization.
However, it remains to be seen how effective the legislation will be for artists seeking to protect their art from being copied and replicated by AI without their permission. Supporters like Lee acknowledged that despite widespread support from those within the music industry and unanimous approval of the Tennessee Congress, the legislation has not been tested. Amid continuing clashes between the Republican supermajority and a handful of Democrats, this level of bipartisan agreement is a striking anomaly.
Many Tennessee musicians say they can’t afford to wait for a perfect solution, noting that AI threats are already showing up on their cellphones and in their recording studios.
“Things come on my phone and I can’t tell it’s not me,” country star Luke Bryan said. “It’s a real thing now and hopefully this will slow it down and slow it down.”
The Republican governor held the bill signing event in the heart of Nashville’s Lower Broadway, inside a packed Robert’s Western World. The beloved honky tonk is usually packed with tourists eager to listen to traditional country music and eat a fried bologna sandwich.
Lee joked that he and his wife, Maria, sometimes sneak into Robert’s for an incognito date, while other lawmakers swapped stories about stopping by the iconic establishment on weekends.
Naming the newly enacted statute after Elvis Presley wasn’t just a nod to one of the state’s most iconic residents.
Presley’s death in 1977 sparked a long and contentious legal battle over the unauthorized use of his name and likeness, as many argued that once a celebrity died, their name and image fell into the public domain.
However, in 1984 the Tennessee Legislature passed the Personal Rights Protection Act, which ensured that personality rights did not end at death and could be passed on to others. It states that “individual rights… constitute property rights and are freely assignable and licensable, and do not expire upon the death of the individual so protected.”
The measure was largely seen as critical to protecting Presley’s estate, but in the decades since it has also been praised for protecting the names, photographs and portraits of all Tennessee public figures.
Now Tennessee will add vocal similarity to those protections.