Tennessee Introduces New Law to Prevent AI Voice Cloning

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently introduced the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act (ELVIS Act), a state bill to safeguard artists and songwriters from AI deepfakes. The proposed law is designed to prevent AI tools from cloning an artist's voice without their consent. This move comes as a response to the growing challenges posed by generative AI tools, specifically in replicating voices and creating deceptive content.

The proposed legislation draws inspiration from the state's existing Personal Rights Protection Act, which establishes posthumous rights for individuals. Tennessee aims to become the first state in the country to address concerns related to voice deepfakes in the context of AI.

The move responds to the broader challenge of mitigating the risks associated with AI across various industries, with other states and federal lawmakers also exploring legislative measures.

“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” said Lee in an official statement. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, we’re proud to lead the nation in proposing legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”

The state of Tennessee already has laws to safeguard people from the unauthorized use of their name, image, and likeness. However, the ELVIS Act seeks to specifically counter the emerging threats associated with AI-generated content, introducing comprehensive measures to protect artists' voices at the state level.

The U.S. House lawmakers also introduced the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act (No AI FRAUD Act) on the same day to establish a consistent federal framework for safeguarding individuals' voices and authenticity, highlighting First Amendment protections.

The ELVIS Act and the No AI FRAUD Act collectively address the challenges posed by AI voice cloning, a concerning issue within the music industry over the past year.

Various industry organizations, including the Academy of Country Music, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), have are supportive of the ELVIS Act.

Not long ago, the EU also called for regulations to ensure fairness and sustainability in the music streaming sector and to support cultural diversity and address the current imbalance in revenue distribution in the music streaming market, which results in low compensation for a majority of authors and musicians.