Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) proposed new legislation on Wednesday which would help protect songwriters, performers, and other music industry professionals from violations related to the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.
“Tennessee will be the first state in the country to protect artists’ voices with this legislation,” Lee said while announcing the bill, per USA Today. “And we hope it will be a blueprint for the country.”
The outlet noted that the bill hasn’t been formally introduced yet and the text isn’t available, but Lee described it as being inspired by the controversy with recording artist and Tennessee resident Elvis Presley following his death in 1977. At the time, there were multiple court battles and lawsuits over the use of Presley’s image without authorization.
