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Thursday, October 23, 2025
California first state to claim using AI to replace an actor is now against the law
indy100: With artificial intelligence becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, and the technology becoming more and more sophisticated, California has passed two bills to protect actors over concerns they may be replaced by AI. It comes as deepfake videos become more widespread.
16 comments:
NeonGreen
said...
California, specifically Governor Newsom, are entering a new era of legislature with their law against the use of AI based on real people to be used in public media. I find it interesting that the bill targets contracts made between companies and other people, but it seems to be an effective way of stopping further use of AI “actors.” I also appreciate the attention paid to the rights of dead actors over their likeness. I actually just realized that this is especially impactful because it is California that is passing these bills. With Hollywood being known for its hub of movie creation, this might sway producers away from using AI. I wonder if, however, these laws might not be applicable to location filming. Would this stop movies that use AI “actors” from playing in California, or just the creation of them? There must be so many ways companies can get around these laws, which is disheartening.
As AI continues to become more and more evolved, the idea of it taking over certain aspects of our lives continues to grow. In particular, the idea of it taking over the entertainment industry is becoming more and more of a concern. The thought of AI taking over certain aspects of business or STEM can be a positive and improve the efficiency of work. When thinking of AI taking over the entertainment industry, it becomes a scary territory and job loss. I think it is really interesting that this bill is being put in place. It shows just how dangerous AI can be to the entertainment industry. Though I am shocked that it is in place, I think that it is necessary before something occurs or it starts to become a major problem. Due to the amount of media that California produces, it makes sense that it is passed. The idea of also eliminating the use of dead actors is something that I am glad is addressed, because this can be used in an unethical way.
This article is terrible, it's incredibly misleading in it's titled and is completely disregarding the actual content of the bill that's been introduced. The law it's self is for companies trying to generate content of an already existing actor or character, not a ban on AI content in general. These types of misleading articles are the reason that so many people get mislead and it's terrible to see this type of disinformation still continuing to spread. I had to do my own extensive research to figure out what exactly this law actually did, as the article really didn't help me figure out what was really happening. It's going to interesting to see how this law develops in the future. I'm sure there's going to be a debate from this, and the legality of it is sure going to come into question. I'm sure the courts are going to continue to debate this issue as AI becomes more and more prevalent.
I think this is going to set a new precedent for this type of regulation, and it’s very very needed. While I think AI is a great tool to use to help with things like research, it should never touch something with so much human involvement such as acting. I think the fact that people are praising sora, and some companies are replacing their marketing video teams with using AI generated content is even concerning to me. Unfortunately, with this administration, I don’t have high hopes this will get adapted into federal regulation, even just become a department policy, hell Trump uses it for his marketing. I do believe tho that some states will adopt the regulation as well, and I do think NY might do one but aim it towards not only acting in movies, but also theatre, because who knows, someone may develop a AI acting robot soon. It will be a weird road ahead, that's for sure.
This is certainly an excellent move from the Government of California. Given that a substantial portion of their economy is driven by the film industry, it makes a lot of sense that they would act on it swiftly. The fact that we are at a point where there was a genuine proposal to have artificial intelligence actors in the first place was absolutely insane. It seems to be invading everything, from high end research, to the entertainment industry, to our first-year writing classes as they try to force us to use it. Hopefully more laws like this are created in states across the nation, ideally in the main film hubs of New York and Georgia. Nationally, it seems unlikely that anything will happen, given the current administration’s stance on artificial intelligence. California leading the way is nothing new, but it is certainly a good thing that they are taking a stand against AI slop.
This is a great example of how, as AI continues to evolve, we need to be placing more regulations on what it can be used for. AI has made the ability to deepfake so much easier, and that is an incredibly scary prospect. This becomes really dangerous, especially for performers who are often in the public eye, who could have content made that appears to be them but isn't actually. By having these new regulations, we also avoid putting actors out of the already difficult to obtain jobs. However, I also think that there needs to be so much more done to regulate artificial intelligence, and this is a very minuscule step in the right direction in California. Other states and the federal government need to begin creating more regulations such as these across all fields, not just entertainment. AI creates so many new problems we have thus far not had to deal with, and we need to address them before they become worse and cause irreparable harm to our society.
I am so incredibly relieved to hear this news. Despite the fact that it is only a small step in the progression to finding our place in this brand new world where AI is playing a much larger role than I'm sure any of us could really imagine. Even from just a year or two ago, there has been such an intense progression of the technology, and it has been widely accepted throughout society without much pushback at all. While this of course is exciting and new, there are obvious concerns that have been brought up throughout the years, especially from the perspective of artists and how there is talk of losing work within the industry to these increasingly developing tools. There is just such a relief to see these small but steady changes being made to our laws as a nation to finding a better balance between using these tools and developing them, while also not letting it take over.
YES! This is so needed. Having human protections against AI is far too long overdue. I truly hope more states (and definitely the federal government) pick up on this and start protecting people. I think there needs to be a way to access the source images referenced in each AI generated image to let people know if their image or content has been used and let them take legal action appropriately. I hope to the bottom of my heart that this legislature applies to explicit material. One of the biggest worries of using people as models for AI actors is the potential for real unsuspecting people to be made into porn. That may actually be beneficial tech for actors uncomfortable with intimacy scenes, but I digress. It's amazing to see AI laws introduced. I hope they’re the first of many. So many fields need this kind of protection, and more so, I pray this trend-sets.
Thank you, California state go, for actually doing something about AI. Maybe the world could learn from your example, and we could continue further down this path. Honestly, it is such a relief to see California pass those bills and acts against AI, seeing as they were major issues that many were talking about or noticing, but doing nothing about. Seeing California actually spring into action and get this done is great and a step in the right direction. It is also good to see that the acknowledged and banned making and distributing AI-content of a deceased individual without prior consent. I realized and noticed this issue a few years ago, and it enraged me to hear that some people would just be so blatantly disrespectful of the dead. I know very well, as another creator, writer, and fan of literary analysis, that sometimes, as a creator, you want to continue to use a character to continue a storyline or resolve a plot hole, etc. However, as much as I understand the desire to tell your story, blinding your sense of priority, it is always important to do a reality check and consider the ramifications of that from an out-of-character and real-world perspective. No story is worth disrespecting the dead for.
A person or citizen is granted certain rights just by existing. Often these rights are unjustly taken away. Often these rights are given to a non-person entity. I am not talking about illegal immigrants but about corporations. It is a gross misuse of our judicial system that has classified businesses as citizens in their “right” to donate their banks to back certain policies, politicians, and more. I would say bank accounts but some corporations are bigger than countries full of people. Of the top two hundred top economic entities, one hundred fifty three of them are corporations. Why are corporations allowed to act as citizens influencing public policy beyond the influence of normal people? It is all about the money. People in positions of power are more at risk for abusing this power and wealth is a form of power. There should be protections in place to stop this influence when people should be the main influence of public policy not bottom lines. Digital replicas help bottom lines and often policy falls behind technology. I hope that policy can hold back fat stacks of cash from tipping the scales.
This is definitely a step in the right direction. AI has evolved so we need to evolve with it. With the recently emerging AI actor, Tilly Norwood, this has become increasingly clear. This AI was seeking representation as an actor. This just makes absolutely zero sense to me. In an industry with already limited job opportunities, why give some to AI? On top of that, how do you manage and work with AI actors? How does that AI collaborate with others, when theatre is the most collaborative art form out there? AI is such a great tool for so many other applications, but not something like acting which requires lived human experience. The increased use of Sora AI is concerning, because it is really realistic. I can't lie, I love watching some funny AI videos on Instagram Reels. However, this should not be used for many other applications. For example, companies are now using these AI’s to replace existing marketing and media teams.
AI has been evolving quickly over the years and it’s insane that AI actors are now being used like that AI actress named Tilly. It is awesome that california was the first state to implement this since california is really where a lot of the film industry is, therefore protecting the jobs of actors and actresses within the film industry. I think that this bill is very interesting in the way it’s mostly targeting companies trying to use AI to create content that already exists from an actor to create more content from the actor. I feel like more states need laws like this in order to keep this industry safe from AI and to keep it human centered as it should be. To me AI is a tool and should not be used for anything that is a creative, human activity. It seems the industry, or those who want to use AI to replace actors, thinks that this would be a good idea but people will start to notice if AI like this begins to be used since it is and will always be difficult to mirror an actual human, no matter how advanced AI is.
A quote that I think about often with AI is “we have a remarkably short time to control the ‘new’ before it becomes the ‘always has been’”. Now, while AI is in its infancy is the time to define what it can and cannot be allowed to do. If we wait until AI is already doing something to try to tell the companies behind it to stop it will be far harder than if we nip it in the bud. I think that AI is a great tool that will bring good for humankind, analyzing mass amounts of data in scientific fields. Doing the repetitive, boring tasks that humans would not want to do. AI like any new tool will take jobs. “Computer” was once a job title rather than a piece of machinery sitting on your desk. I think it’s alright for computers to take some jobs, no one wants to sit at a desk crunching numbers all day. But currently AI is trying to replace jobs based on profit rather than what we want to do. It would be far cheaper for companies to not have to pay artists so they try to replace human artists with machines. I think that this legislation is a great first step at formalizing the idea that we have a right to not be made obsolete by machines.
I think that creating these laws is a good chance to get ahead of a world that is completely AI-generated and a place where actors lose their jobs and where are emotions and actions are interpreted by a computer. A lot of the time, we as a society find solace and inspiration from TV shows, movies, and the arts. Over time, if society slowly takes inspiration from computers, it could lead to a world with less accurate feelings and true emotions. I think that an actor's true emotions and performance are nothing that could actually be copied through a computer. A computer can copy and replicate the picture of the outside face, but a computer can never replicate what the actor is feeling on the inside. The reason we like art and performances is that we can relate to the story and the human emotion. I do not want to live in a world where computers have a subconscious effect on how we are feeling and how we are inspired.
Last night I was walking home from tech and I was on the phone with my dad. While we were talking he asked me if I thought my job (Stage Management) could be replaced by AI and my response was no. This question was asked after I finished talking about calling cues which in theory could be done by a computer. If they had sensors that could detect movement and pick up sound I am sure they could take cues on the board without a SM or Ops. Once my dad pointed this out I started to second guess my no but then I thought about actors. I do not think actors will ever be replaced by AI. I think our generation will accept a lot from AI but I think replacing an actor would be too far. This article is a perfect example of that and I immediately sent it to my dad.
I feel like California is always the first state to put things into legislature specifically when it comes to workers laws and the entertainment industry. Very happy to know that there is not some kind of legal precedent for other states to refer to about AI integration in the arts and AI actors and that they made it fully illegal. The laws are still very blurry about AI practices in other capacities so its nice to see a big “not allowed period” somewhere. AI Tilly is a very frightening prospect and the fact that the creators even thought it was a good and valuable makes me sick of how much we devalue artists versus how much profit and time all of us give to entertainment. It so hypocritical and AI is making everything even worse. I hope as this continues to be an issue that more states and California continue to say no to AI and allow artists to be appreciated and valued how they should be.
16 comments:
California, specifically Governor Newsom, are entering a new era of legislature with their law against the use of AI based on real people to be used in public media. I find it interesting that the bill targets contracts made between companies and other people, but it seems to be an effective way of stopping further use of AI “actors.” I also appreciate the attention paid to the rights of dead actors over their likeness. I actually just realized that this is especially impactful because it is California that is passing these bills. With Hollywood being known for its hub of movie creation, this might sway producers away from using AI. I wonder if, however, these laws might not be applicable to location filming. Would this stop movies that use AI “actors” from playing in California, or just the creation of them? There must be so many ways companies can get around these laws, which is disheartening.
As AI continues to become more and more evolved, the idea of it taking over certain aspects of our lives continues to grow. In particular, the idea of it taking over the entertainment industry is becoming more and more of a concern. The thought of AI taking over certain aspects of business or STEM can be a positive and improve the efficiency of work. When thinking of AI taking over the entertainment industry, it becomes a scary territory and job loss. I think it is really interesting that this bill is being put in place. It shows just how dangerous AI can be to the entertainment industry. Though I am shocked that it is in place, I think that it is necessary before something occurs or it starts to become a major problem. Due to the amount of media that California produces, it makes sense that it is passed. The idea of also eliminating the use of dead actors is something that I am glad is addressed, because this can be used in an unethical way.
This article is terrible, it's incredibly misleading in it's titled and is completely disregarding the actual content of the bill that's been introduced. The law it's self is for companies trying to generate content of an already existing actor or character, not a ban on AI content in general. These types of misleading articles are the reason that so many people get mislead and it's terrible to see this type of disinformation still continuing to spread. I had to do my own extensive research to figure out what exactly this law actually did, as the article really didn't help me figure out what was really happening. It's going to interesting to see how this law develops in the future. I'm sure there's going to be a debate from this, and the legality of it is sure going to come into question. I'm sure the courts are going to continue to debate this issue as AI becomes more and more prevalent.
I think this is going to set a new precedent for this type of regulation, and it’s very very needed. While I think AI is a great tool to use to help with things like research, it should never touch something with so much human involvement such as acting. I think the fact that people are praising sora, and some companies are replacing their marketing video teams with using AI generated content is even concerning to me. Unfortunately, with this administration, I don’t have high hopes this will get adapted into federal regulation, even just become a department policy, hell Trump uses it for his marketing. I do believe tho that some states will adopt the regulation as well, and I do think NY might do one but aim it towards not only acting in movies, but also theatre, because who knows, someone may develop a AI acting robot soon. It will be a weird road ahead, that's for sure.
This is certainly an excellent move from the Government of California. Given that a substantial portion of their economy is driven by the film industry, it makes a lot of sense that they would act on it swiftly. The fact that we are at a point where there was a genuine proposal to have artificial intelligence actors in the first place was absolutely insane. It seems to be invading everything, from high end research, to the entertainment industry, to our first-year writing classes as they try to force us to use it. Hopefully more laws like this are created in states across the nation, ideally in the main film hubs of New York and Georgia. Nationally, it seems unlikely that anything will happen, given the current administration’s stance on artificial intelligence. California leading the way is nothing new, but it is certainly a good thing that they are taking a stand against AI slop.
This is a great example of how, as AI continues to evolve, we need to be placing more regulations on what it can be used for. AI has made the ability to deepfake so much easier, and that is an incredibly scary prospect. This becomes really dangerous, especially for performers who are often in the public eye, who could have content made that appears to be them but isn't actually. By having these new regulations, we also avoid putting actors out of the already difficult to obtain jobs. However, I also think that there needs to be so much more done to regulate artificial intelligence, and this is a very minuscule step in the right direction in California. Other states and the federal government need to begin creating more regulations such as these across all fields, not just entertainment. AI creates so many new problems we have thus far not had to deal with, and we need to address them before they become worse and cause irreparable harm to our society.
I am so incredibly relieved to hear this news. Despite the fact that it is only a small step in the progression to finding our place in this brand new world where AI is playing a much larger role than I'm sure any of us could really imagine. Even from just a year or two ago, there has been such an intense progression of the technology, and it has been widely accepted throughout society without much pushback at all. While this of course is exciting and new, there are obvious concerns that have been brought up throughout the years, especially from the perspective of artists and how there is talk of losing work within the industry to these increasingly developing tools. There is just such a relief to see these small but steady changes being made to our laws as a nation to finding a better balance between using these tools and developing them, while also not letting it take over.
YES! This is so needed. Having human protections against AI is far too long overdue. I truly hope more states (and definitely the federal government) pick up on this and start protecting people. I think there needs to be a way to access the source images referenced in each AI generated image to let people know if their image or content has been used and let them take legal action appropriately. I hope to the bottom of my heart that this legislature applies to explicit material. One of the biggest worries of using people as models for AI actors is the potential for real unsuspecting people to be made into porn. That may actually be beneficial tech for actors uncomfortable with intimacy scenes, but I digress. It's amazing to see AI laws introduced. I hope they’re the first of many. So many fields need this kind of protection, and more so, I pray this trend-sets.
Thank you, California state go, for actually doing something about AI. Maybe the world could learn from your example, and we could continue further down this path. Honestly, it is such a relief to see California pass those bills and acts against AI, seeing as they were major issues that many were talking about or noticing, but doing nothing about. Seeing California actually spring into action and get this done is great and a step in the right direction. It is also good to see that the acknowledged and banned making and distributing AI-content of a deceased individual without prior consent. I realized and noticed this issue a few years ago, and it enraged me to hear that some people would just be so blatantly disrespectful of the dead. I know very well, as another creator, writer, and fan of literary analysis, that sometimes, as a creator, you want to continue to use a character to continue a storyline or resolve a plot hole, etc. However, as much as I understand the desire to tell your story, blinding your sense of priority, it is always important to do a reality check and consider the ramifications of that from an out-of-character and real-world perspective. No story is worth disrespecting the dead for.
A person or citizen is granted certain rights just by existing. Often these rights are unjustly taken away. Often these rights are given to a non-person entity. I am not talking about illegal immigrants but about corporations. It is a gross misuse of our judicial system that has classified businesses as citizens in their “right” to donate their banks to back certain policies, politicians, and more. I would say bank accounts but some corporations are bigger than countries full of people. Of the top two hundred top economic entities, one hundred fifty three of them are corporations. Why are corporations allowed to act as citizens influencing public policy beyond the influence of normal people? It is all about the money. People in positions of power are more at risk for abusing this power and wealth is a form of power. There should be protections in place to stop this influence when people should be the main influence of public policy not bottom lines. Digital replicas help bottom lines and often policy falls behind technology. I hope that policy can hold back fat stacks of cash from tipping the scales.
This is definitely a step in the right direction. AI has evolved so we need to evolve with it. With the recently emerging AI actor, Tilly Norwood, this has become increasingly clear. This AI was seeking representation as an actor. This just makes absolutely zero sense to me. In an industry with already limited job opportunities, why give some to AI? On top of that, how do you manage and work with AI actors? How does that AI collaborate with others, when theatre is the most collaborative art form out there? AI is such a great tool for so many other applications, but not something like acting which requires lived human experience. The increased use of Sora AI is concerning, because it is really realistic. I can't lie, I love watching some funny AI videos on Instagram Reels. However, this should not be used for many other applications. For example, companies are now using these AI’s to replace existing marketing and media teams.
AI has been evolving quickly over the years and it’s insane that AI actors are now being used like that AI actress named Tilly. It is awesome that california was the first state to implement this since california is really where a lot of the film industry is, therefore protecting the jobs of actors and actresses within the film industry. I think that this bill is very interesting in the way it’s mostly targeting companies trying to use AI to create content that already exists from an actor to create more content from the actor. I feel like more states need laws like this in order to keep this industry safe from AI and to keep it human centered as it should be. To me AI is a tool and should not be used for anything that is a creative, human activity. It seems the industry, or those who want to use AI to replace actors, thinks that this would be a good idea but people will start to notice if AI like this begins to be used since it is and will always be difficult to mirror an actual human, no matter how advanced AI is.
A quote that I think about often with AI is “we have a remarkably short time to control the ‘new’ before it becomes the ‘always has been’”. Now, while AI is in its infancy is the time to define what it can and cannot be allowed to do. If we wait until AI is already doing something to try to tell the companies behind it to stop it will be far harder than if we nip it in the bud. I think that AI is a great tool that will bring good for humankind, analyzing mass amounts of data in scientific fields. Doing the repetitive, boring tasks that humans would not want to do. AI like any new tool will take jobs. “Computer” was once a job title rather than a piece of machinery sitting on your desk. I think it’s alright for computers to take some jobs, no one wants to sit at a desk crunching numbers all day. But currently AI is trying to replace jobs based on profit rather than what we want to do. It would be far cheaper for companies to not have to pay artists so they try to replace human artists with machines. I think that this legislation is a great first step at formalizing the idea that we have a right to not be made obsolete by machines.
I think that creating these laws is a good chance to get ahead of a world that is completely AI-generated and a place where actors lose their jobs and where are emotions and actions are interpreted by a computer. A lot of the time, we as a society find solace and inspiration from TV shows, movies, and the arts. Over time, if society slowly takes inspiration from computers, it could lead to a world with less accurate feelings and true emotions. I think that an actor's true emotions and performance are nothing that could actually be copied through a computer. A computer can copy and replicate the picture of the outside face, but a computer can never replicate what the actor is feeling on the inside. The reason we like art and performances is that we can relate to the story and the human emotion. I do not want to live in a world where computers have a subconscious effect on how we are feeling and how we are inspired.
Last night I was walking home from tech and I was on the phone with my dad. While we were talking he asked me if I thought my job (Stage Management) could be replaced by AI and my response was no. This question was asked after I finished talking about calling cues which in theory could be done by a computer. If they had sensors that could detect movement and pick up sound I am sure they could take cues on the board without a SM or Ops. Once my dad pointed this out I started to second guess my no but then I thought about actors. I do not think actors will ever be replaced by AI. I think our generation will accept a lot from AI but I think replacing an actor would be too far. This article is a perfect example of that and I immediately sent it to my dad.
I feel like California is always the first state to put things into legislature specifically when it comes to workers laws and the entertainment industry. Very happy to know that there is not some kind of legal precedent for other states to refer to about AI integration in the arts and AI actors and that they made it fully illegal. The laws are still very blurry about AI practices in other capacities so its nice to see a big “not allowed period” somewhere. AI Tilly is a very frightening prospect and the fact that the creators even thought it was a good and valuable makes me sick of how much we devalue artists versus how much profit and time all of us give to entertainment. It so hypocritical and AI is making everything even worse. I hope as this continues to be an issue that more states and California continue to say no to AI and allow artists to be appreciated and valued how they should be.
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