US Lawmakers Reintroduce NO FAKES Act as Support Grows Across Music and Tech Industries

A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced the NO FAKES Act, a proposed piece of legislation designed to protect individuals from unauthorised AI-generated replicas of their voice and likeness.

The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act of 2026 was reintroduced in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate on 20 May, marking the third time the bill has been brought before Congress.

The legislation has attracted backing from a broad coalition spanning the music and technology sectors, including major record companies, industry organisations and digital platforms. Supporters include Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Recording Academy and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA).

The bill was first introduced in the Senate in July 2024 and was reintroduced in April 2025. However, it failed to progress beyond committee stage on both occasions.

Each reintroduction has been accompanied by an expanding list of supporters. Last year, Google, OpenAI and IBM joined the coalition. This year, Spotify and Getty Images have added their support, according to the RIAA.

Spotify’s endorsement comes as the streaming platform intensifies its efforts to tackle AI-generated content. In September 2025, the company announced it had removed more than 75 million tracks it described as spam over the previous year and introduced a policy banning unauthorised AI voice clones. Earlier this year, Spotify launched an Artist Profile Protection feature, enabling musicians to review and approve releases before they appear on their profiles.

The day before the NO FAKES Act was reintroduced, Spotify also expanded its Verified by Spotify programme to podcasts, reiterating that it would remove content that impersonates creators through AI voice cloning. The move comes amid reports that AI-generated podcasts now account for more than a third of newly created podcast feeds.

The latest version of the legislation has been revised to reflect the role of platforms such as Spotify. It introduces different procedures for user-generated content platforms and more curated services, tailoring enforcement and dispute resolution mechanisms accordingly.

The Senate sponsors of the bill are Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota).

In the House of Representatives, the legislation is led by Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-Florida), Madeleine Dean (D-Pennsylvania), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Becca Balint (D-Vermont), Laurel Lee (R-Florida) and Joe Morelle (D-New York).

If passed, the NO FAKES Act would establish, for the first time, a federal intellectual property right covering an individual’s voice and likeness. The measure would allow people to take legal action against anyone who knowingly creates, distributes or profits from unauthorised digital replicas.

The issue has become increasingly significant for the music industry as advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier to create convincing deepfakes of artists and public figures. In 2024, Taylor Swift was targeted by explicit AI-generated deepfake images. More recently, the singer reportedly sought federal trademark protection for her voice and likeness as part of efforts to guard against future misuse.

In a statement accompanying the bill’s reintroduction, Representative Dean said the rapid growth of AI technology required lawmakers to establish “common sense” regulations. She argued that the legislation would give individuals a clear federal right to control digital replicas of their voice and likeness, while helping victims of deepfakes and protecting artistic expression.

Representative Salazar said the legislation would ensure individuals retain ownership of their identity in an era where AI can be used to imitate voices and appearances without consent.

Senator Coons described the updated proposal as a stronger version of the bill, developed following consultations with stakeholders across the country. He said the legislation aims to provide robust protections against misuse while preserving free speech rights.

Senator Blackburn added that AI should support innovation rather than enable scammers and online predators to exploit people’s voices and visual likenesses. She said stronger safeguards were needed to protect artists, students and the wider public from deceptive deepfakes and digital impersonation.

The renewed push for the NO FAKES Act highlights growing concern among lawmakers, technology companies and creative industries about the misuse of generative AI, as pressure mounts on Congress to establish a legal framework governing digital replicas and synthetic media.