California has passed two new bills protecting actors and performers against AI, in a potentially precedent-setting moment for tech legislation across

It's Now Officially Illegal to Use AI to Impersonate a Human Actor in Hollywood

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2024-09-24 06:30:05

California has passed two new bills protecting actors and performers against AI, in a potentially precedent-setting moment for tech legislation across the country.

While these largely overlap with the AI safeguards that SAG-AFTRA passed last year, the new laws not only bolster those existing protections but extend them to everyone in California — not just to people working in front of a camera in Hollywood, as IndieWire notes.

Together, the bills, which were passed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, make it illegal to use an AI-generated digital replica of an actor's likeness or voice — or technically, any Californian's — without their explicit consent.

If a studio is seeking permission to replicate a performer, the contract must specifically state how it plans to use the AI clone. Studios will also be prohibited from cloning deceased actors unless they have permission from their estates.

"It is a momentous day for SAG-AFTRA members and everyone else, because the AI protections we fought so hard for last year are now expanded upon by California law thanks to the Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom," Fran Drescher, president of the labor union, said at its headquarters in LA. "They say as California goes, so goes the nation!"