It was 2022. Layoffs, cost-cutting and what appeared to be an inevitable strike from writers was looming and the industry was in flux. That fall, OpenAI released an early demo of ChatGPT in what became the first momentous moment of the tech entering the public consciousness. Everything changed, starting with “Heart on my Sleeve,” a song that used AI versions of voices from Drake and the Weeknd.
SAG-AFTRA mobilized its fleet of lobbyists in Washington D.C, as did the Recording Industry Association of America, according to people familiar with the situation. They found receptive ears in Senators Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn, Amy Klobuchar and Thom Tillis, who later unveiled a discussion draft of the legislation providing protections from unauthorized uses of their appearance and voice in generative AI tools. On July 31, an updated version of the bill was introduced — a landmark entry in the debate over AI guardrails.
