Newsletter 
Summary:YouTube has announced its support of the “No Fakes Act.” This is a push for legislation that will bring rules for using the AI-generated likeness of people online. This act was brought in 2023 and 2024, but has picked up again.
There’s a pretty big problem brewing in the AI world right now. The explosion of AI has made deepfakes much more effective and accessible. This means that it’s pretty easy to create a video of someone doing and saying something that they didn’t. So, fraud and misinformation can run rampant,
We’ve already seen some examples of this. Well, two senators, Chris Coons and Marsha Blackburn, have crafted the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act. Originally proposed in 2023, this act aims to do what its name (both abbreviated and non-abbreviated) suggests. They want to foster art and creativity in our AI world.
The bill faced some opposition over the years. However, that’s not stopping other entities from supporting it, like SAG-AFTRA and the Recording Industry Association.
YouTube announced its support of the NO FAKES Act
YouTube is the largest long-form video-sharing platform in the world. As such, the saying “With great power comes great responsibility” comes into play. The platforms can play host to deepfake videos, and it takes one viral video to end someone’s career.
So, the responsibility to contain this falls into the company’s hands. This is why it’s great to know that it supports the bill. In its announcement, the company stated, “As AI continues to evolve, we’re committed to ensuring it’s used responsibly, especially when it comes to protecting creators and viewers.”
According to a revision of the Act last year, a platform that stores deepfaked material (like YouTube and other video-sharing platforms) won’t be found liable if it takes deepfaked material down when requested. So, if someone generates a video of you kicking a penguin, YouTube most likely won’t be held liable unless it rejects your request to have it taken down.
Among YouTube’s statement, the company also announced that it’s expanding the pilot of its “likeness management technology.” This is a program that will allow creators to detect when someone makes a deepfake of them and have it taken down. The program now has new members, including MrBeast, Mark Rober, Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) and more.