The debate over artificial intelligence regulation has taken a personal turn. Heirs of late musicians—including Bill Withers, Cass Elliott, David Rose, and Alex North—joined attorney Chris Castle and the Artist Rights Institute. Together, they submitted comments to the White House. Their message is clear: AI-generated deepfakes threaten the music industry and damage cultural legacies.
The Erosion of Artistic Trust
The filing focuses on synthetic performances—AI recreations of deceased artists’ voices and likenesses. According to the heirs, these imitations flood the market with inauthentic sound-alikes. As a result, licensing rates drop and consumer trust fades. “AI fakes can depress licensing rates by flooding markets with inauthentic sound-alikes, undermining price discipline, provenance, and consumers’ trust online,” the filing states. Moreover, they warn that deepfakes distort history and mislead the public. These synthetic works risk dismantling carefully built artistic legacies.
In addition, the filing highlights OpenAI’s recent release of its Sora 2 GenAI video model. That launch triggered a wave of synthetic clips featuring deceased public figures. The heirs describe this trend as “digital grave robbing.” They accuse corporations of monetizing likenesses without consent, context, or compensation. For example, users now see AI-generated performances by long-deceased celebrities—created and monetized by companies with no ties to the original works. Therefore, the heirs urge society to draw a line between innovation and exploitation.
Enforcing Existing Laws
While some advocate for new legislation, the group emphasizes that existing laws already offer powerful tools. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they call on the White House to enforce current regulations more effectively. They urge Congress and federal agencies to clarify copyright protections and strengthen cooperation with state attorneys general. Furthermore, they demand accountability from corporations that profit from unauthorized synthetic content. The filing rejects a “failed DMCA-style model” that shifts enforcement costs to artists. Even so, they believe responsibility should fall on those who build and deploy these technologies.
Ultimately, the heirs deliver an urgent and far-reaching message. Protecting cultural legacies in the AI era goes beyond music. It preserves history, authenticity, and public trust. As they conclude, “Our laws must protect reality itself – its authors, its witnesses, and its inheritors.”
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