FKA twigs has proactively taken AI into her own hands to develop a deepfake version of herself to handle interactions with fans while she focuses on music. Rolling Stone reports.
“Last year, I developed my own deepfake version of myself that is not only trained on my personality but can also use my exact tone of voice to speak many languages,” FKA twigs shared in written testimony ahead of her appearance before the Senate. on Tuesday (April 30).
Praising technology as a “very valuable” tool “when under the control of the artist,” the British musician continued: “I will be using my AI branches later this year to expand my reach and manage my online interactions on social media.” , while I will continue to concentrate on my art from the comfort and solace of my studio.”
FKA twigs will testify about “AI twigs” during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property on the NO COUNTERFEITS Lawa bipartisan bill that seeks to create a federal law that protects actors and musicians from unauthorized AI falsifications of their “image, voice or visual likeness.”
Elsewhere in her written testimony, FKA twigs warned against the potential dangers of AI when used unchecked and advocated for protections against it:
“Our careers and livelihoods are at risk, and potentially so are wider rights relating to the image of others in society. You have the power to change this and safeguard the future. That the very essence of our being at its most human level can be violated by the unscrupulous use of AI to create a digital facsimile purporting to be us and our work is inherently wrong. “It is therefore vital that as an industry and as policymakers we work together to ensure we do everything we can to protect our creative and intellectual rights, as well as the very foundation of who we are.”
Short for the “Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe Act,” the bill was sponsored by Senators Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn, Amy Klobuchar and Thom Tillis in October 2023. It came shortly after an artist called ghostwriter went viral for “heart on my manga,” a song with AI-generated voices created to imitate Drake and The Weeknd.
In a strange turn of events, Drake himself recently found himself embroiled in an artificial intelligence controversy when he used deepfake voices made to sound like Tupac and Snoop Dogg in a Kendrick Lamar song. Days later, Tupac's estate sent him a cease-and-desist letter that described the AI-generated voices as “a flagrant violation of Tupac's publicity and the estate's legal rights.”
Earlier this month, Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet and Pearl Jam were among more than 200 prominent musicians who signed an open letter calling on tech companies to “stop devaluing music.” Tennessee recently became the first state to move to protect songwriters and artists from the unauthorized use of AI with the ELVIS Act.
As for FKA twigs, she has a techno-inspired album on the way and stars in an upcoming Raven new version with Bill Skarsgård. The film hits theaters on June 6.
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