SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen introduced new legislation that would protect artists and music labels from situations where a third-party creates music using AI and replicates their voice without permission.
“Deepfakes can falsely and convincingly portray anyone saying anything, creating confusion and eroding public trust. This raises serious implications in a world already struggling with rampant misinformation and social media manipulation,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “We need strong regulations and protections in place to protect artists from the ever-changing world of AI that intends to steal their work and pass it off as their own.”
Last year, a song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” purportedly by Drake and The Weeknd landed on TikTok and Spotify and quickly spread across the internet. The song was created using AI by a TikTok user, who had trained AI on Drake and The Weeknd’s works and generated the new song, which perfectly mimicked the artists’ voices, lyrics, and musical styles. Within days, his video, which had gained over 9 million views, was removed from TikTok, Spotify, and other platforms in response to claims by the artists’ record label, UMG.
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman is taking decisive action to protect consumers and promote transparency in the ticketing industry by introducing legislation aimed at ending speculative ticket listing and regulating event ticket pricing.
“Speculative ticket listing and opaque pricing practices have long plagued the ticketing industry, leaving consumers frustrated and financially disadvantaged,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “This legislation aims to put an end to these deceptive practices and empower consumers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.”
In speculative ticket listing, sellers list tickets for events they do not yet possess in the hope of acquiring them later at a lower price. This practice often leads to inflated ticket prices, leaving consumers vulnerable to exploitation and price gouging.
SPRINGFIELD – Cancer is a serious disease that touches most lives in one way or another. State Senator Julie Morrison introduced a measure that would require insurance to cover preventative cancer screenings and genetic testing for individuals with a family history of cancer.
“Taking preventative measures increases the chances of survival and is more cost effective than treatment,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Early diagnosis is the best way to tackle the deadly effects of cancer.”
Currently cancer screenings for certain types of cancer are covered as long as the patient meets the age requirement. Senate Bill 2697 would expand that coverage to include prevention and susceptibility cancer screenings for all types of cancer for people who have a family member affected by the deadly disease. Additionally, insurance companies would be required to cover genetic testing for an inherited gene mutation for individuals with a family history of cancer.
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Lakesia Collins is leading a measure to combat retaliatory efforts from nursing homes on patients.
“Patients in nursing homes should not have to worry about retaliation for wanting better living conditions for themselves,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “We are making an effort to expand the definition of retaliation to fit actions that are interfering with residents’ quality of life and are in response to protected activities.”
Senate Bill 3559 would expand the definition of “retaliatory action” to include retaliation against residents of nursing homes in the form of reduced access to services, neglect, selective restrictions and other adverse actions that interfere with the quality of life and are related to their involvement in a protected activity.
Read more: Collins works to protect patients in nursing homes
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