A sound defense: how ELVIS Could Safeguard yOur public persona from ai
We’ve gone from blue notes to matrix numbers. Now is the time to embrace understanding next steps in your ever-evolving Intellectual Property adventures.
In the swiftly evolving digital landscape, where artificial intelligence (AI) can replicate human likeness and voice with startling accuracy, the need for robust legal frameworks has never been more acute. To musicians, actors, public speakers, influential business people, influencers, and other business people and creatives, a defense against AI in the sonic realm might not seem crucial, but it's everything.
Elvis has left the building, or has he?? With AI, we all know you can recreate a famous person — weird, sad, cool, startling — yet all true at the exact same time. While many people are trying to figure out how to capitalize on the likeness of the famous, Tennessee has made the first move with the ELVIS ACT the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act of 2024.
This act protects individuals in the ever evolving/emerging field of AI. This state-level law significantly expands the ambit of protection to include one's voice—a reflection of our times where one's digital persona is as valuable, if not more so, than their physical presence. With Tennessee taking the first steps to protect a timeless homegrown icon and a major business revenue stream, the state leads the country in AI protections.
Even though your online dating profile may say that you listen to “anything but country” the stats prove that some of your profile photos, hobbies, and even your taste interest in country music are lies: country music's popularity has surged by 23.8% in on-demand audio streaming within the first half of 2023. Maybe that’s why Beyonce made a country album.
What does the act actually look to protect:
Enhanced Digital Persona Protection
The ELVIS Act acknowledges the paramount importance of safeguarding an individual's digital persona against unauthorized commercial use. With AI technologies capable of generating lifelike representations and voices, the act provides a much-needed legal shield, ensuring that the essence of who we are—captured in our likeness and voice/personality—remains ours to control and consent to in the digital domain.
Although, I would say that via protection of voice that it also helps to protect private personas as well. The nuance of being a person with public and private personas is a very real challenge to already established people. That most likely will change as society changes.
Voice Recognition's Vital Role
With voice now recognized as a protected attribute, safeguarding vocal communications within AI assistant technology has introduced another layer of protection for our digital selves. This necessitates the implementation of stringent measures to prevent misuse.
A New Era for AI Development
The legislation sets a clear boundary: advancement must not come at the expense of personal rights. For innovators and developers at the forefront of AI, the ELVIS Act introduces critical considerations around consent, authorization, and ethical development. This legal standard encourages a pathway for AI development that is not only innovative but also respectful of the individuals it seeks to emulate. Also, by capitalizing off a person’s career without paying any sample fees to their management.
Looking Forward
The ELVIS Act sets a precedent that may influence future legislation and policy-making in jurisdictions beyond its immediate scope. As we PR and Comms pros are tasked with navigating the complexities of digital representation in an emerging creative field, fair use and pay will be the biggest components of this legal model when it comes to campaigns.
The ELVIS Act offers a comprehensive legal framework that respects and protects the individual's voice and likeness in AI. For public relations professionals, content creators, and AI developers, the act not only spells out the boundaries of ethical digital representation but also welcomes a new era of responsible innovation and public persona management. As we adapt to these changes, the act helps our digital selves to remain, unequivocally, our own.
The worst part:… I can only imagine the amount of puns that legal reporters will come up with for the next 10-years. Thank you, Thank you very much.
As we navigate the new frontiers of digital identity protection highlighted by the ELVIS Act, ensuring your voice and persona are securely and authentically represented has never been more crucial. Ready to amplify your public image? Schedule a complimentary consultation call here with COMMS/NATION let's build your public persona that will resonate with your audience.
More about the author: Andréa M. Garcia is the managing partner of COMMS/NATION LLC where she and her team builds strategic award-winning PR and communications campaigns and thought-provoking leadership for ambitious business leaders who want to dominate their respective industries. She’s a trailblazer in communications and a dedicated advocate for minority entrepreneurs.