NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The ELVIS Act, aimed at protecting musicians’ voices from the misuse of artificial intelligence, is one step closer to becoming law, but one internet law expert says virtually everyone in Tennessee, which said it could have negative consequences.
The House Bill of 2019, or ELVIS Act, which stands for Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security, was first announced last month by Gov. Bill Lee as part of lawmakers’ efforts to protect musicians’ voices from misuse by AI. Ta.
“When it comes to Elvis, Isaac Hayes, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney, and hundreds of others, their likenesses, images, and voices are theirs. It’s the art they make. software should not be something that can be stolen,” David Hodges, an accomplished musician, told lawmakers on Tuesday.
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The ELVIS Act has received bipartisan praise and passed a House committee Tuesday morning, moving it one step closer to becoming law.
But Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for NetChoice, an organization that works to make the internet safer, told News 2 that he is also concerned that the bill does not clearly define artificial intelligence, according to its website. Ta.
“This content is very broad, far too broad, and unfortunately written in a way that would make it illegal to go to a concert, take a photo of your favorite artist, and post it online. “We are working hard,” Szabo said.
Zabo got his thing. Social media concernsposted online that even color-corrected photos would have to be disclosed, “warning the world about your ‘AI-assisted editing,'” Szabo wrote to X.
“At first we might think, ‘Oh, that’s fine,’ but then we start thinking about all the bad ways this could snowball out of control,” Szabo says.
As silly as it may sound, Szabo says the issue could escalate to a mother suing her daughter for posting a photo she doesn’t like.
“It would be crazy, but that’s the kind of thing we’re talking about right now,” Sabo said.
Szabo told News 2 the bill needs tweaks, including adding a clause specifically prohibiting commercial use of AI-generated content.
“Basically, if you want to use your face in an ad, you have to get permission. That makes sense,” Szabo said. “Unfortunately, because that important provision is missing, it now only applies so broadly that if you take a photo and post it online, you are at risk.”
“This is a well-intentioned bill, but it just wasn’t drafted very well and needs to be fixed,” Szabo continued. “Otherwise, it would cause a lot of problems for a lot of people across the state of Tennessee.”
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House Minority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), one of the bill’s sponsors, told lawmakers he first wanted to make sure everyone was “neutral” on the bill. We then investigate whether there are any unintended consequences after a few years.
The bill will be discussed in the Calendar and Rules Committee in the future, but a date has not yet been set.
