Congressional lawmakers found rare common ground in Washington this week as Democrats and Republicans rallied behind the NO FAKES Act.
The bipartisan proposal aimed at shielding artists and public figures from unauthorized AI-generated replicas of their voices and likenesses.
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) officially threw its support behind the legislation, which was reintroduced by Senators Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, Thom Tillis and Amy Klobuchar, along with Representatives María Elvira Salazar, Madeleine Dean, Nathaniel Moran and Becca Balint.
“The NO FAKES Act is a significant first step towards safeguarding artists, journalists, performers, and all performers whose professional recordings and videos are maliciously exploited in AI-generated deepfakes and voice clones,” said Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder and president of BMAC.
The bill, formally titled the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2025, seeks to establish a federal right protecting individuals from digital impersonations created without consent.
Initially introduced in 2023, the NO FAKES Act is the first federal legislation designed to directly address the growing misuse of artificial intelligence in creating unauthorized digital copies of real people.
The bill creates a new intellectual property right covering a person’s voice and image, making it illegal to distribute or profit from such replicas without permission.
“Nobody—whether they’re Tom Hanks or an 8th grader just trying to be a kid—should worry about someone stealing their voice and likeness,” said Senator Coons. “Incredible technology like AI can help us push the limits of human creativity, but only if we protect Americans from those who would use it to harm our communities.”
The legislation also includes a carveout to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, allowing platforms to be held liable if they fail to remove unauthorized content quickly.
Violators could face damages of at least $5,000 per incident. Protections would extend up to 70 years after a person’s death if their likeness continues to be commercially used.
Exceptions are built in for journalism, documentaries, biographies and other forms of protected speech, ensuring that the law does not stifle creative or critical expression.
The bill has drawn broad support across industries, including from the Human Artistry Campaign, child advocacy groups, Google, OpenAI, IBM, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Motion Picture Association.
BMAC joins a growing list of advocacy organizations backing the bill, including the Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, and the Songwriters of North America.
The goal is to create a consistent legal standard across all states, sparing artists from having to file lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions.
For more insight, watch Dr. Grouchy Greg Watkins, founder of AllHipHop, in conversation with Senator Chris Coons as they break down the NO FAKES Act and its impact on the future of entertainment.
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