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California governor Gavin Newsom has signed two bills that will protect performers from having their likeness simulated by AI digital replicas.
The two SAG-AFTRA supported bills, AB 2602 and AB 1836, were passed by the California legislature in August and are part of a slate of state-level AI regulations. AB 2602 bars contract provisions that would let companies use a digital version of a performer in a project instead of the real human actor, unless the performer knows exactly how their digital stand-in will be used and has a lawyer or union representative involved.
AB 1836 says that if a performer has died, entertainment companies must get permission from their family or estate before producing or distributing a “digital replica” of…