KYNCL SPEAKS AT SENATE HEARING ON NO FAKES ACT

WMG CEO Robert Kyncl (pictured) and artist FKA twigs were on Capitol Hill on 4/30 speaking to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property during a hearing on issues covered in the NO FAKES ACT.

The bipartisan legislation (full name: the Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe [NO FAKES] Act), co-authored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), concerns federal efforts to protect an individual’s voice and image from being used in nonconsensual AI-generated content.

Kyncl spoke in support of protecting Americans from unauthorized deepfakes and advocating for responsible guardrails for AI technology wherein human creativity and innovation can both thrive. His prepared statement reads in part, “Unfettered deepfake technology has the potential to impact everyone—even all of you. Your identities could be appropriated and used to mislead your constituents.

“The truth is everyone is vulnerable. Families defrauded by voice clones pretending to be relatives; people placed in pornography without their consent; schoolchildren having their faces inserted into humiliating scenes. Some people have spoken of responsible AI as a threat to freedom of speech. But it’s precisely the opposite. AI can put words in your mouth. AI can make you say things you didn’t say and don’t believe. That’s not freedom of speech.”

For more of Kyncl's thoughts on the subject, see his op-ed in The Hill, "Four Rules to Make Artificial Intelligence Work for Humans."

The NO FAKES Act addresses a vital issue, particularly during this crucial election year. Let’s hope the federal measures being discussed today will yield effective results in the coming months. And let's hope ChatGPT did a decent job of summarizing this story.

Photos: Shannon Finney, Getty Images for RIAA