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The SAG-AFTRA-backed bill that gives working actors protection from the creation of deepfakes has officially passed California’s Senate and is on the fast track to being signed into law.
The Big Picture: The use of digital doubles by studios and streamers was a major point of contention during last year’s actors’ strike, so California’s passage is a win for workers’ rights in the state with the largest entertainment industry in the world.
Between the Lines: Assembly Bill 2602 has been SAG-AFTRA’s biggest legislative project of the past year, which aims to codify the gains from its last contract negotiation into law and cover all actors.
- It requires consent and compensation when any production seeks to create a realistic audio or video deepfake of talent to be used in any commercial project.
- It unanimously passed the Senate after a few revisions, so now it goes back to the House (which had passed the previous version) and then goes to Governor Newsom’s desk.
- SAG-AFTRA will now set its sights on AB 1836, which would give deceased performers the same protections as AB 2602.
Closing Thoughts: AB 2602 is the first of the AI-focused bills working their way through the state and federal government. Meanwhile, the federal ones are crawling through Congress, as usual. But with California leading the charge in the states, expect AB 2602 to be modeled across the country.
Go Deeper: California’s larger AI bill, SB 1047, has been the talk of Silicon Valley all month.
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