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. 

Under Senate Bill 3225, music studios and labels like UMG in this situation could bring a lawsuit in state court on behalf of an Illinois artist since they own the rights of their own voice, and the likeness of their voice was used for commercial purposes without permission. 

“The goal is to ultimately protect Illinois artists and musicians,” said Edly-Allen. “We need regulation on artificial intelligence to ensure it does not get out of hand. AI can be a good tool, but not when it steals the work and voice of others.”

Senate Bill 3325 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.