Before her triumphant trip to Sunday night's (Feb. 4) Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Lainey Wilson swung through Washington, D.C. to speak on behalf of artists concerned about how AI (artificial intelligence) might negatively impact their careers.
Wilson testified on Friday (Feb. 2) before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.
"My art is uniquely and literally me, my name, my likeness, my voice," Wilson said. "I do not have to tell you how much of a gut punch it is to have your name, your likeness, or your voice ripped from you and used in ways that you could never imagine or would never allow. It is wrong, plain and simple."
Wilson's supporting H.R. 6943, or the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act of 2024. The bipartisan bill will protect artists' likeness and voice rights, even beyond death, with fines in place for creators of unauthorized deepfakes.
"There aren't many things that we can control in life, but making decisions about the use of our own selves, our own unique qualities, that should be one," Wilson added. "I am excited about a lot of ways that artificial intelligence can be used to help people, but I'm nervous about how it can be used to take personal rights."
In June of 2023, Wilson spoke out after she and Luke Combs were among the celebrities to have their voices AI replicated without consent for online advertisements for weight loss gummies.
On Sunday, Wilson earned more red carpet attention at the Grammy Awards ahead of the first win of her career. She took home Best Country Album for Bell Bottom Country. In addition, Wilson and her friend Jelly Roll's version of "Save Me" was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. That one was won by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves for their crossover No.1 "I Remember Everything."
