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Tennessee becomes the first state to protect musicians and other artists against AI
webRelevant to AI governance discussions around intellectual property, creative rights, and how sub-national jurisdictions are beginning to regulate AI applications ahead of federal frameworks.
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Summary
Tennessee passed the ELVIS Act (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security), becoming the first U.S. state to legally protect musicians and artists from unauthorized AI replication of their voices and likenesses. The law extends existing right-of-publicity protections to explicitly cover AI-generated content, prohibiting the use of someone's voice or image without consent. This represents an early example of state-level AI governance targeting creative industries.
Key Points
- •Tennessee enacted the ELVIS Act, the first U.S. state law specifically protecting artists from AI cloning of their voices and likenesses.
- •The law updates Tennessee's existing right-of-publicity statute to explicitly include AI-generated replications as a protected category.
- •Artists and their estates can sue for damages if their voice or image is reproduced by AI without authorization.
- •The legislation was driven by music industry concerns in Nashville, where AI voice cloning poses direct economic threats to musicians.
- •The act signals a growing trend of state-level legislative responses to AI's impact on creative professionals before federal action occurs.
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| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| US State AI Legislation Landscape | Analysis | 70.0 |
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**Tennessee becomes the first state to protect artists against AI** **The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or ELVIS Act, is an updated version of the state's right of publicity law. The new legislation includes AI-specific protections.**
### [Law](https://www.npr.org/sections/law/)
# Tennessee becomes the first state to protect musicians and other artists against AI
March 22, 20245:50 AM ET
By
Rebecca Rosman
Enlarge this image
Country music star Luke Bryan gives a fist bump to Gov. Bill before Lee signed a bill Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
**Mark Humphrey/AP** **hide caption**
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Mark Humphrey/AP
Country music star Luke Bryan gives a fist bump to Gov. Bill before Lee signed a bill Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Humphrey/AP
Tennessee made history on Thursday, becoming the first U.S. state to sign off on legislation to protect musicians from unauthorized artificial intelligence impersonation.
"Tennessee (sic) is the music capital of the world, & we're leading the nation with historic protections for TN artists & songwriters against emerging AI technology," Gov. Bill Lee [announced on social media](https://www.facebook.com/GovBillLee/).
The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or ELVIS Act, is an updated version of the state's old right of publicity law. While the old law protected an artist's name, photograph or likeness, the new legislation includes AI-specific protections.
[](https://www.npr.org/2024/03/21/1239693671/ai-images-and-conspiracy-theories-are-driving-a-push-for-media-literacy-educatio)
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Once the law takes effect on July 1, people will be prohibited from using AI to mimic an artist's voice without permission.
Lee signed the bill inside Robert's Western World, the famed Nashville honky
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