Written By Lexx Thornton
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two bills into law that set out to protect actors and performers from artificial intelligence replicas of their likeness or voice being used without their consent.Â
Such protections were at the forefront of labor negotiations during the months-long strike last year by SAG-AFTRA, or the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Several performers, from musicians to actors, have spoken out against AI versions of their image or voice being used without their consent. Â
Last year, Scarlett Johansson took legal action against an AI app that posted an ad appearing to show her speaking from behind the scenes of “Black Widow” — but which actually was just an AI-generated version of her — while Tom Hanks issued a warning over Instagram just last month about AI ads using his voice and image, Variety reports.Â
“There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs. These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI,” Hanks wrote.Â
 One of the California bills deals with protecting actors and other performers in the writing of contracts when it comes to AI uses, while the other is focused on protecting deceased performers who may be digitally replicated or imitated long after their death.Â
