CMA 2023 Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson will testify before a House subcommittee hearing in Los Angeles next week to address the misuse of artificial intelligence technology in entertainment.
Wilson, who also took home “Female Vocalist of the Year” and four other CMAs and was nominated for two Grammys, will testify before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet at a field hearing on Feb. 2 at 9 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Wilson became the center of a mild generative AI controversy last summer when weight-loss advertisements using the country star’s likeness began making the rounds online, prompting a response warning her fans not to fall for the scam.
AI was a major topic in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last summer, and its questionable use continues to make headlines, including Thursday, when George Carlin’s estate sued the makers of a deepfake comedy special that used his material and his likeness.
Comedian Sarah Silverman, political talker Mike Huckabee, actress Scarlett Johansson and others have turned to the courts over AI issues as well, with mixed results.
The panel will examine “how Congress can support responsible innovation in applications of artificial intelligence technology and address growing concerns about the misuse of AI technology, especially with respect to the likeness, voice and other identifying characteristics of individuals.”
The subcommittee, which is chaired by California Republican Darrell Issa, will also hear from Recording Academy president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr.; Christopher Mohr, president of the Software and Information Industry Association; and Jennifer Rothman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
The hearing is one of a series that congressional committees are holding to help lawmakers grasp the reach and potential impact of AI in order to explore potential laws that could regulate the technology. Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer met with X owner Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates last year as part of his effort to gain insight into the fast-growing tech.
The L.A. hearing will be open to the public and livestreamed.
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