All fifty state broadcasters’ associations, joined by the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are prompting US lawmakers to regulate digital replicas created by generative AI. The associations joined in a letter of support for the NO FAKES Act of 2024.
The letter was sent to Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, and House leaders Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries.
This bipartisan legislation, formally known as the Support the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act, aims to protect individuals’ voice and visual likeness, including those of broadcast news anchors and on-air personalities from AI replicants.
The NO FAKES Act addresses growing concerns over unauthorized computer-generated recreations, which have the potential to damage reputations and undermine public trust in local media. The bill provides essential exclusions for genuine news reporting, commentary, criticism, and other forms of protected speech under the First Amendment, balancing necessary protections with freedom of expression.
The Act seeks to combat the misuse of AI-generated deepfakes that can lead to misinformation and disinformation, which local broadcasters argue compromise the integrity of trusted news and entertainment programming. The legislation would create a federal remedy to support individuals affected by nonconsensual digital replicas while allowing for similar state laws.
Broadcasters are urging Congress to pass the NO FAKES Act to safeguard public trust in local news and to offer recourse against the manipulative use of AI-generated content. They emphasize that, while addressing the complex challenges of misinformation and misappropriation, the Act is an essential step in the right direction.
This legislations joins several other efforts on Capitol Hill to rein in the emerging technology, including a proposed rulemaking by the FCC that would require broadcasters to disclose when AI was used in any political ads.
