As AI becomes more of a reality by the day, Hollywood is organizing to regulate its usage in the entertainment industry.
Although California Gov. Gavin Newsom previously signed two AI bills last week giving performers greater protections, Jane Fonda, Shonda Rhimes and Pedro Pascal are among 125 industry professionals to sign Artists 4 Safe AI’s open letter urging him to pass Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 1047.
Other signators include JJ Abrams, Mark Ruffalo, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Ava DuVernay, Rosie O’Donnell, Mark Hamill, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Judd Apatow, Fran Drescher, Sean Astin, Janelle Monáe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Mariska Hargitay, Sophia Bush, Connie Britton, Alec Baldwin, Mahershala Ali, Annaleigh Ashford, Alyssa Milano, Jessica Alba, Rosanna Arquette, John Cho, Jennifer Beals and Tom Arnold.
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SB 1047 would require AI developers in the state to implement security precautions before training their models. The bill has drawn opposition from major companies like OpenAI, as well as from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But backers of the legislation say that it is light-touch regulation that merely codifies voluntary safety commitments that AI firms already have made.
Last week, Newsom signed two AI bills, including AB 1836, which 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 re-create the voice and likeness of a deceased person. AB 2602 bolsters protections for artists in contract agreements over the use of their digital likenesses.
Read Artists 4 Safe AI’s open letter below:
“As you well know, some of the most lucrative and powerful companies in the world are currently racing to dominate the enormous business opportunity known as AI. Many of those companies are based in your home state of California.
“Last week, you signed two bills into law that will help protect the rights and livelihoods of artists from various unethical uses of AI by those big tech companies. We are genuinely grateful for that.
“But right now, there’s another bill urgently awaiting your signature that would regulate AI: Senator Wiener’s SB 1047. This bill is not about protecting artists — it’s about protecting everyone.
“Grave threats from AI used to be the stuff of science fiction, but not anymore. Even though the billionaire opponents of SB 1047 dismiss these concerns as fantastical, many of the industry’s leading engineers, academics and policymakers warn otherwise. In a recent open letter in support of SB 1047, over a hundred current and former employees of OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Meta, and xAI said:
“‘We believe that the most powerful AI models may soon pose severe risks, such as expanded access to biological weapons and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. It is feasible and appropriate for frontier AI companies to test whether the most powerful AI models can cause severe harms, and for these companies to implement reasonable safeguards against such risks.’
“SB 1047 would implement the safeguards these industry insiders are asking for. The bill passed with overwhelming majorities in the California State Senate and Assembly. Polling shows 77% of Californians approve of the bill. Why would the Governor not sign it into law?
“Governor Newsom, most of us are residents of California. We are your supporters. We voted for you. We want to continue to believe that you are a leader who will stand up for everyone’s wellbeing, not just for a few Silicon Valley giants.
“We fully believe in the dazzling potential of AI to be used for good. But we must also be realistic about the risks. Now is our moment, Governor, for California to set that practical and positive example for all of the United States, as well as the rest of the world.
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