Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, Cardi B & More Support Bill Regulating AI Voice Cloning Through Open Letter

Nearly 300 artists, songwriters, actors and other creators are voicing their support for a new bipartisan bill in Congress that would regulate the use of artificial intelligence to clone voices and likenesses through a new print ad running on USA Today on Friday (February 2).

The bill — called the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act (No AI FRAUD Act) and introduced in the US House on January 10 — would establish a federal framework to protect voices and the like in the age of AI.

Placed by the Human Artistry Campaign, the ad features bold-faced names like 21 Savage, Bette Midler, Cardi B & Offset, Chuck D, Common, Gloria Estefan, Jason Isbell, the estate of Johnny Cash, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Daigle, Lamb of God, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, Questlove, Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Smokey Robinson, the estate of Tomy Petty, Trisha Yearwood and Vince Gill.

“The AI ​​Fraud Act will defend your fundamental human right to your voice and likeness, protecting everyone from non-consensual deep fakes,” the ad says. “Protect your individuality. Support HR 6943.”

The Human Artistry Campaign is a coalition of music industry organizations that in March 2023 released a set of seven guiding principles on artificial intelligence. They include ensuring that AI developers obtain licenses for artistic works used in developing and training AI models, and that governments refrain from creating “new copyright or other IP exemptions that allow AI developers to exploit creators without leave or compensation'.

Apart from musical artists, the USA Today The ad also features the names of actors such as Bradley Cooper, Clark Gregg, Debra Messing, F. Murray Abraham, Fran Drescher, Laura Dern, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Kristen Bell, Kiefer Sutherland, Julianna Margulies and Rosario Dawson.

The Anti-Artificial Intelligence Fraud Act was introduced by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) along with Reps. Madeline Dean (D-PA), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Rob Whitman (R-VA). The bill is said to be based on the Senate debate draft Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe Act (“NO FAKES” Act), which was introduced in October.

“It's time for bad actors using artificial intelligence to face the music,” Rep. Salazar said in a statement at the time the legislation was announced. “This bill opens a loophole in the law and gives artists and US citizens the power to protect their rights, their creative work and their fundamental individuality online.”

Spurred in part by recent incidents, including Feke Drake's viral track “Heart On My Sleeve,” the No AI FRAUD Act would establish a federal standard that would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to copy the voices and likenesses of public figures. persons without consent. As it stands, an artist's voice, image, or likeness is usually covered by “right of publicity” laws that protect it from unauthorized commercial exploitation, but these laws vary by state.

The bill was introduced the same day a similar bill – the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act – was introduced in Tennessee by Gov. Bill Lee. That bill would update the state's Privacy Act “to include protections for songwriters, performers and the voice of music industry professionals from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI),” according to a press release .

Since its unveiling, the No AI Fraud Act has received support from a number of music companies and organizations, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Universal Music Group, the National Music Publishers' Assocation (NMPA), the Recording Academy , SoundExchange , the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and the Latin Recording Academy.

You can see the full ad below.