California Enacts Landmark Laws Protecting Performers From AI Replicas
Published: 09.10.2025
Reading time: 2.1 minutes
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two landmark bills into law aimed at protecting actors and performers from the unauthorized use of their likeness or voice through artificial intelligence.
The new laws – AB 2602 , AB 1836 , and the latest SB53 – address growing concerns in Hollywood about “digital clones” being used without consent, an issue that dominated last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike.
Under AB 2602, contracts involving the use of AI-generated replicas must clearly specify if a performer’s likeness or voice will be digitally recreated, and the performer must be represented by a union or attorney.
The legislation, introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José), extends protections beyond union actors to voice artists and other performers who have traditionally lacked such safeguards.
Posthumous Protections for Artists
“Union-represented actors may now have a collective bargaining agreement that includes safeguards against AI, but other performers like voice actors for media such as audio books, video games, and more, deserve the same legal safeguards,” said Kalra.
SAG-AFTRA General Counsel Jeffrey Bennett added that the law curbs exploitative contracts granting perpetual rights over an artist’s likeness.
The second bill, AB 1836, introduced by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), bans the commercial use of a deceased performer’s digital replica in film, television, or video games without the consent of their estate.
“It is now possible to create new performances of artists even after their death,” Bauer-Kahan said. “They deserve protections that extend beyond their lifetime.”
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, who joined Newsom at the signing ceremony, praised the legislation as a beacon to performers worldwide feeling threatened by AI. The union described the laws as the first of their kind in the United States.
Governor Newsom said the measures aim to protect workers while still encouraging innovation in a state that’s home to 32 of the world’s 50 leading AI companies. “Our North Star has always been to protect workers,” he said.
The laws come amid mounting global debate over digital ethics and AI misuse, from AI-generated songs mimicking Drake and The Weeknd to deepfakes of celebrities and political figures.
As Bennett warned, the ability to digitally clone someone is no longer science fiction – it’s an immediate threat to how people make a living.
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