The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on June 18 voted to advance a bipartisan bill proposed by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) that would protect the voice and visual likeness of all Americans from unauthorized, AI-generated digital clones.
“AI should empower innovation — not give scammers and online predators a free pass to exploit someone’s voice and visual likeness without permission,” Sen. Blackburn said. “From artists and songwriters to students and everyday Americans, people deserve meaningful protections against deceptive deepfakes and digital impersonation.”
The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act of 2026, S. 4591, which Sen. Blackburn is cosponsoring alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
“The NO FAKES Act would establish clear guardrails that protect the creative community in Tennessee and nationwide, and I am pleased that this important legislation is one step closer to becoming law,” said Sen. Blackburn.
If enacted, S. 4591 would address the use of non-consensual digital replications in audiovisual works or sound recordings by holding individuals or companies liable if they distribute an unauthorized digital replica of an individual’s voice or visual likeness, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Blackburn’s staff.
Additionally, the bill would hold platforms liable for hosting an unauthorized digital replica if the platform has knowledge of the fact that the replica was not authorized by the individual depicted.
The legislation also would exclude certain digital replicas from coverage based on recognized First Amendment protections, and preempt future state laws regulating digital replicas.
At the same time, S. 4591 would add a counter-notice procedure to better protect Americans’ free speech rights; provide an exemption for libraries, archives, and research institutions to ensure that the study of digital replicas is not inhibited; and make technical fixes to ensure that the bill works as designed for streaming music platforms, the summary says.
“Everyone deserves the right to own and protect their voice and likeness from AI deepfakes, no matter if you’re Taylor Swift or an 8th grader in Wilmington,” said Sen. Coons.
U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), who introduced the House version of the bipartisan legislation, also praised passage of the measure.
“The NO FAKES Act is simple. Your identity belongs to you. I introduced this bill in the House because Americans deserve protections that match the technology of our time, and I am proud to lead this effort alongside Senators Blackburn and Coons. I look forward to seeing this bipartisan bill signed into law so every American can have confidence that who they are and how they are represented remains in their own hands,” Rep. Salazar said.