SPRINGFIELD – Recording artists will soon have more protections from AI replicating their voice or work thanks to new legislation introduced by Senator Mary Edly-Allen.

“Musicians often spend years of their lives perfecting their craft. It is unfair that their hard-earned talents can be stolen for other purposes in a matter of seconds without compensation,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “We need strong regulations and protections in place to safeguard artists when people try to steal their work and pass it off as their own using artificial intelligence (AI).”

As an emerging technological platform, there are no current restrictions on AI models replicating a music artist’s voice. Without regulations, some organizations and even music studios have sought to establish a monopoly of control over their artists’ voices and melodies for AI projects.

To give artists more agency of how their voice or melody may be replicated by AI, House Bill 4762 would require artists to have legal representation or support from a collective bargaining agreement when negotiating an AI project involving their art, and how they will be compensated for the AI replica. This would prevent music studios from profiting off an artist’s likeness or voice by using AI to replicate them without the consent of the artist or without fair compensation.

“Generative Artificial Intelligence has advanced to the point where it can mimic an artist’s likeness or voice to an uncanny degree. These workers should be protected from predatory contracts that sign away their rights to their own likeness, which can cut them out of profits and future work opportunities,” said State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview). “We must ensure that our laws and regulations keep up with emerging technology, including Generative Artificial Intelligence. HB 4762 would render these predatory practices unenforceable and protect artists in Illinois.”

House Bill 4762 passed the Senate on Wednesday and awaits further action.