California Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Two Major AI Bills That Give Performers Greater Protection Over Their Likenesses

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills today designed to give greater protections to performers and others over the use of their digital likenesses during their lives and to their estates.

Newsom signed the legislation at the headquarters of SAG-AFTRA, which has been one of the major champions of the new laws.

A.B. 1836 expands the scope of the state’s postmortem right of publicity, including the use of digital replicas, meaning that an estate’s permission would be needed to use such technology to recreate the voice and likeness of a deceased person. There are exceptions for news, public affairs and sports broadcasts, as well as for other uses like satire, comment, criticism and parody, and for certain documentary, biographical or historical projects.

The other bill, A.B. 2602, bolsters protections for artists in contract agreements over the use of their digital likenesses. 

“It is a momentous day for SAG-AFTRA members and everyone else, because the A.I. protections we fought so hard for last year are now expanded upon by California law thanks to the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.

The Motion Picture Association, which initially expressed opposition to the new laws, ultimately took a neutral stance.

More to come.