AI expert Marva Bailer explains how, even though there are currently laws in place, the average person has more access than ever to create deepfakes of celebrities. Katy Perry and Miranda Lambert are just some of the more than over 200 names who have signed a letter speaking out for musicians' rights as artificial intelligence continues to expand its reach. "We, the undersigned members of the artist and songwriting communities, call on AI developers, technology companies, platforms and digital music services to cease the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists," the letter begins. It goes on to state, "When used irresponsibly, AI poses enormous threats to our ability to protect our privacy, our identities, our music and our livelihoods. Some of the biggest and most powerful companies are, without permission, using our work to train AI models. These efforts are directly aimed at replacing the work of human artists with massive quantities of AI-created'sounds' and'images' that substantially dilute the royalty pools that are paid out to artists. "For many working musicians, artists, and songwriters who are just trying to make ends meet, this would be catastrophic." Katy Perry and Miranda Lambert are just some of the over 200 names signing an open letter asking AI developers to respect artists' rights. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? The open letter, submitted by the Artist Rights Alliance, a non-profit made up of "working musicians, performers, and songwriters fighting for a healthy creative economy and fair treatment for all creators in the digital world," per their official website. The letter notes that "AI has enormous potential to advance human creativity" when used "responsibly." "This assault on human creativity must be stopped.

The governor of Tennessee has approved a law that aims to protect musical artists from exploitation or replication by artificial intelligence. Gov. Bill Lee signed into law the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act on Thursday at a honky-tonk bar in Nashville. "There are certainly many things that are positive about what AI does," Lee said during the event. "It also, when fallen into the hands of bad actors, it can destroy this industry." "It can rob an individual, these individual artists to whose unique God-given gifts transform people's lives," the governor added.

Creative works shape our identity, values, and worldview. And there are fundamental elements of our culture that are uniquely human. Only humans are capable of communicating the endless intricacies, nuances, and complications of the human condition through art - whether it be music, performance, writing, or any other form of creativity. Developments in artificial intelligence are exciting and could advance the world farther than we ever thought possible. But AI can never replace human expression and artistry.