LANDMARK ELVIS ACT BUILDS MOMENTUM IN TENNESSSEE HOUSE AS SINGER/ACTOR CHRISSY METZ, SONGWRITER JAMIE MOORE + RIAA’S JESSIE RICHARD SPEAK TO VOICE & LIKENESS PROTECTIONS
Watch Sub-Committee Unanimously Pass Bill
Pictured (L-R): RIAA SVP of Public Policy Jessie Richard, hit songwriter/NSAI board member Jamie Moore & singer/actor/author Chrissy Metz
Courtesy of Human Artistry Campaign
NASHVILLE, TN (February 14, 2024) – Staunch advocates for music creators, Tennessee lawmakers continue to advance vital legislation to protect individual voice, image and likeness against irresponsible and unethical artificial intelligence (AI) with unanimous passing of the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act - HB 2091 in the House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee yesterday (2/13). Following Governor Bill Lee’s introduction last month alongside State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-27) and House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-44), the Subcommittee heard testimony from singer/actor/author Chrissy Metz, hit songwriter & NSAI board member Jamie Moore and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) SVP of Public Policy Jessie Richard explaining the importance of protecting fundamental rights all people should have to their image, likeness and voice – especially in an era of harmful AI-generated deepfakes and audio cloning.
Watch today’s hearing in full here (30:36 mark).
Tennessee has been at the epicenter for generations of artists whose lived experiences are expressed through songs that have moved culture and connected communities. Metz and Moore shared their perspective as working creatives and on behalf of the Human Artistry Campaign initiatives.
“I can attest to the pain and fear coursing through the creative community, knowing that years of committed hard work, countless heartbreaks, sacrifice, unwavering resilience […] not to mention our very own character and reputations all can be torn down in a moment by an unaccountable deepfake,” said Metz. “I fully support free speech, and it’s appropriate that this bill preserves all First Amendment rights. However, using someone’s voice not protected by the First Amendment should not be allowed."
"Music is an important part of the fabric of Tennessee, it’s a part of our culture, economy, music is our lifeblood. Tennessee has always held its creators in high esteem, and sought to protect their work and their livelihoods. We are at a critical part in American history and human innovation. I’ll say that again, human innovation,” continued Moore. “As songwriters and artists, we spend hours scrutinizing over our human art. When a machine can take my lived experience in seconds, that is wrong. That is theft. And we need to protect against it.”
“Unscrupulous parties are abusing AI technology, hijacking artists’ actual voices and likenesses to generate digital clones, undermining their bodies of work, and alienating their fans. […] The bill’s opponents that seek categorical exemptions want to allow non-consensual uses of another person’s voice and likeness in ways that are not protected by the First Amendment. Their economic interests in non-protected speech should not prevail over a person’s basic rights,” said Richard. “It is worth emphasizing that the ELVIS Act applies to everyone. All Tennesseans deserve to have their voices and likenesses protected and this bill will ensure just that.”
This landmark push from Tennessee lawmakers now follows congressional testimony from GRAMMY Award-winning Country artist Lainey Wilson and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. as well as nearly 300 actors, artists, musicians and songwriters co-signing support for similar federal protections through the bipartisan No AI FRAUD Act. See here.
# # #
