Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Signs 'ELVIS Act' Into Law, A Landmark Protection For Artists Against AI

Tennessee has made history by becoming the first state in the nation to pass a law explicitly designed to protect artists from the unauthorized use of their vocal likeness by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

What Happened: Governor Bill Lee (R-Tenn.) has signed a groundbreaking piece of legislation, known as the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act, or “ELVIS Act,” AP News reported on Friday. This law, which will take effect on July 1, aims to shield musicians and other artists from AI infringement.

The ELVIS Act extends the protection of personal rights to include vocal likeness, complementing the existing safeguards for names, photographs, and likenesses in the state. Governor Lee highlighted the music industry’s vital role in Tennessee’s economy and the need to protect the intellectual property of artists from the encroachment of AI.

With the increasing sophistication of AI-generated content, the ELVIS Act introduces a civil action against the unauthorized use of an artist’s voice or likeness using technology. The bipartisan support for the bill is noteworthy in a political landscape often marked by division.

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The bill was signed at a symbolic venue, Robert’s Western World in Nashville, paying homage to the state’s rich musical heritage. The ELVIS Act also continues the tradition of posthumous protection of artists’ rights, a practice Tennessee started with the Personal Rights Protection Act of 1984.

Why It Matters: The enactment of the ELVIS Act comes amid growing concerns over AI’s impact on copyright and artists’ rights. Universal Music Group NV (UMGNF), along with Concord and ABKCO, recently filed a lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic for allegedly scraping songs to create near-identical lyrics with their AI model, Claude.

Furthermore, industry giants like Alphabet Inc. and Universal Music have been exploring partnerships to develop tools that allow the legitimate creation of AI-generated tracks, addressing the rise of deepfake songs.

However, some artists like The Chainsmokers have expressed a willingness to embrace AI technology for music production.

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Image: Shutterstock/ Larina Marina