California Passes Landmark AI Law Protecting Actors’ Voices and Likenesses

By: Jason James

Community Journalist

SoCalTelevision.com

In a historic move to protect performers from unauthorized digital manipulation, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bills 1836 and 2602, establishing strict limits on the use of AI-generated replicas of an actor’s likeness or voice. The legislation marks one of the most comprehensive state-level efforts in the United States to address the growing ethical and legal concerns surrounding artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry.

The new laws extend legal protections not only to living actors but also to deceased performers, ensuring that their image, voice, and creative legacy cannot be digitally recreated without explicit consent. Families and estates of late entertainers will now have stronger legal standing to prevent exploitation through AI-generated content that mimics their loved ones.

This move directly responds to the rapid rise of AI deepfakes and voice cloning tools that can replicate actors with near-perfect accuracy. Such technologies have sparked widespread concern about consent, creative rights, and the potential replacement of human performers with synthetic versions.

  Consent, Contracts, and AI Ethics

Under AB 1836 and AB 2602, explicit consent and formal contracts are now mandatory before any AI-generated likeness or vocal reproduction can be created or used for commercial purposes. This includes digital doubles, voice synthesis, and virtual performances.

The laws ensure that actors maintain control over their personal identity and artistic integrity, closing loopholes that previously allowed studios or third parties to generate AI versions without proper authorization.

These legislative victories build upon the hard-fought gains of SAG-AFTRA’s 2023 strike, where AI protections were a central issue in negotiations. The strike brought global attention to how rapidly evolving AI tools could reshape creative industries, pushing lawmakers to act.

SAG-AFTRA’s leadership has praised the bills, calling them a critical step toward ensuring that human creativity remains valued and protected in an AI-driven future. The union emphasized that these laws set a precedent for other states, and even countries could soon follow with the proposed guardrails.

California, home to both Hollywood and Silicon Valley, now stands at the forefront of balancing technological innovation with human rights. As AI continues to blur the lines between human and machine creativity, AB 1836 and AB 2602 provide a roadmap for how policymakers can safeguard identity, authenticity, and consent in the digital age.

  What This Means for Creators and AI Developers

For AI developers, content creators, and production companies, these laws signal the need for greater transparency, documentation, and ethical use of AI tools. Before using voice models, likeness data, or motion captures, entities must now verify that proper authorization exists or face potential legal action.

This legislation represents a turning point in how societies regulate AI’s intersection with art, media, and personal identity. It’s not only a win for actors, it’s a win for furthering ethical AI use.

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