The critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated artist, FKA Twigs, testified in congress on Tuesday to call for stronger protections against AI generated deep fakes of artists
In a powerful written testimony filed by FKA Twigs to the U.S. Senate subcommittee, the letter advocates for the creative and commercial control of AI to be used as a tool for artists, so long as they retain consent and control over their representations.
“We must enact regulation now to safeguard our authenticity and protect against misappropriation of our inalienable rights”, the letter reads.
“The very essence of our being at its most human level can be violated by the unscrupulous use of AI to create a digital facsimile that purports to be us, and our work.”
“It is therefore vital that as an industry and as legislators we work together to ensure we do all we can to protect our creative and intellectual rights as well as the very basis of who we are.”
The subcommittee is currently discussing the “The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act” – a bipartisan proposal that would protect the voice and visual likeness of all individuals from unauthorised recreations from generative artificial intelligence.
The artist also announced the creation of “AI Twigs”, a deepfake of herself created with artificial intelligence launching later this year that will interact with fans and journalists on her behalf.
“In the past year, I have developed my own deep fake version of myself that is not only trained in my personality but also can use my exact tone of voice to speak many languages.
I will be engaging my AI twigs later this year to extend my reach and handle my online social media interactions, whilst I continue to focus on my art from the comfort and solace of my studio,” she writes.
“As a future-facing artist, new technologies are an exciting tool that can be used to express deeper emotions, create fantasy worlds, and touch the hearts of many people.”
In a recent instagram post following the testimony, FKA Twigs states, “I am passionate about exploring new technologies with the guise of expanding my art further and exploring new ways to express myself and reach fans, however it is imperative that at this dawn of great technological growth legislation is put in place to ensure that an artist’s likeness is controlled by the artist themselves.”
The singer has since received heartwarming support from many online, including fellow artists Paloma Faith, Imogen Heap, and Tayce, alongside Atlantic Records.
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This conversation around the use of AI in music is not new, and follows a recent push by artists to introduce stronger protections in the industry.
Read the testimony in full here.
Words By Annalise Lordess
