Safeguard artists' rights against unconsented AI impersonation

The creative industry faces significant risks from the misuse of AI technology to replicate performers' voices and likenesses without consent. It is crucial that effective safeguards are put in place to prevent exploitation and ensure fair compensation. AI has the potential to automate and undermine the livelihoods of actors, vocalists, and other artists by enabling the creation of digital replicas that can be used in lieu of hiring human performers. This undermines intellectual property rights and allows companies to profit from an individual's persona without providing any remuneration. Robust legislation is needed to enshrine protections for creative professionals against non-consensual voice and image replication by AI systems. Laws must recognize an explicit right for individuals to control the commercial use of their digital voices, faces, and likenesses. Performers must be able to opt out of having their personas replicated by AI, and any permitted usage should require explicit consent, unionized representation, and proper compensation. Without such legal guardrails, the entertainment industry risks entering an era of "digital indentured servitude" where companies can endlessly exploit an individual's identity for their own gain after acquiring it through questionable means. Preserving artistic integrity and economic rights is paramount as AI capabilities rapidly advance. Policies rooted in ethics, transparency, and worker empowerment will cultivate an equitable future where human creativity remains valued and protected.