Country singer and actress Lainey Wilson appeared before Congress Friday to offer testimony about her fears surrounding artificial intelligence.
Wilson addressed the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet after her own voice was featured in an AI deepfake audio clip.
“My art is uniquely and literally me, my name, my likeness, my voice,” Wilson said. “I do not have to tell you how much of a gut punch it is to have your name, your likeness, or your voice ripped from you and used in ways that you could never imagine or would never allow. It is wrong, plain and simple.”
Lainey Wilson testifies at a House Judiciary field hearing on how AI fraud has impacted her:
“I do not have to tell you how much of a gut punch it is to have your name, your likeness, or your voice … used in ways that you could never imagine. … It is wrong, plain and simple.” pic.twitter.com/oNKHKloEoT
— The Recount (@therecount) February 2, 2024
The artist acknowledged that others seemingly approve of AI replications of themselves. For herself, Wilson has signed a petition in favor of the No AI Fraud Act alongside other artists who oppose AI duplicating their likeness.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) introduced H.R. 6943 earlier this month with bipartisan support. The bill calls for protections of an individual’s likeness and voice even beyond death and would also issue fines to those who create deepfakes that violate those protections.
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“There aren’t many things that we can control in life, but making decisions about the use of our own selves, our own unique qualities, that should be one,” Wilson said. “I am excited about a lot of ways that artificial intelligence can be used to help people, but I’m nervous about how it can be used to take personal rights.”
Wilson later posted to her Instagram that “it’s time to put a stop” to the “misuse of AI technology that has the power to imitate us.”