AI is the hottest of topics in the creative space as artists, singers, writers, and speakers worry that internet-generated content mimicking their style and copying their voices will insult their integrity and threaten their livelihoods.
But when used correctly—AI can restore what was lost.
Country music icon Randy Travis lost his voice in a life-threatening stroke in 2013. He can speak or sing single words, but his disability makes it impossible to continue his career on the same trajectory. Last year, Travis and his record label, Warner Music Nashville, used an AI model to record “Where That Came From,” the first new music using his voice in over a decade.
This week, Travis, his wife Mary Travis, and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl traveled to Washington to D.C. to provide support for the bipartisan NO FAKES Act (“Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2025”). The bill is the only legislation intended to protect artists and performers from having their voice, image, and livelihood stolen.
Videos by American Songwriter
Randy Travis is “Passionate About Advocating to Keep Music an Honest Pursuit of Art and Human Expression”
“At this point in my life, I am fully focused on living and giving back,” Travis said. “I’ve been part of the music community my whole life, professionally for 40 years. I am passionate about advocating to keep music an honest pursuit of art and human expression. While I remain excited about new, cutting-edge technologies, we must protect, and fairly compensate, the creative minds that give us the music—and art—that feeds our souls.”
While in the nation’s capital, the Recording Academy honored Travis at the April 8 GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards to celebrate his advocacy for creators’ rights and fair compensation for artists in the evolving digital age.
“We believe the NO FAKES Act is a good first step,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told American Songwriter. “It really outlines how people can and cannot use other people’s voices or likeness without their approval. The academy also has a role in awarding Grammys, and we are taking into consideration how we evaluate music in its current form. With new technologies, we’re are always having to evolve and iterate on what we’re doing, our rules and our procedures.”
Recording Academy Says NO FAKES Act is “A Good First Step”
Last year, the Recording Academy made changes to allow for AI submissions, and Mason wants the organization to thoughtfully evolve with the technology to represent its creative members effectively.
While much of the conversation surrounding AI is centered on artists, its use has wider-reaching implications. Mason said that AI can impact everyone from an official running for office to parents working in the PTA.
“Anybody’s voice could be stolen and utilized to send the wrong messages to launch an alternative platform or to refute something somebody else said,” Mason explained. “It’s really problematic, and it could be extremely damaging for people’s careers and people’s lives.”
The 2025 NO FAKES Act builds on last year’s similar legislation and months of cross-sector consultation. The updated version intends to take a measured approach to protecting Americans from invasive deepfakes while reducing litigation and promoting American AI development. Giant tech companies, including OpenAI, Google, and IBM, have also pledged support. The NO FAKES Act allows American AI companies to compete globally while also protecting the voices and likenesses of American people.
AI Allowed Randy Travis to Release New Music for First Time in a Decade
“In the past year, AI-enabled vocal production allowed me to release new music in my own voice for the first time in over 10 years,” Mary Travis read for her husband as the bill was reintroduced. “I’m overwhelmed to be able to record music again, and very blessed. These recordings, which were produced as an extension of my artistry, are very different from someone else stealing my voice and producing music. Music that I never participated in or authorized. Yet generative AI enables anyone to do just that. No one should be allowed to put words in someone else’s mouth or depict them doing something they never did. It is unconscionable that AI can take my voice and produce content without my consent or compensation.”
The NO FAKES Act is meant to give Americans the right to protect their voice and likeness from invasive AI deepfakes and voice clones, reduce litigation by allowing UGC platforms to avoid liability by promptly removing unauthorized deepfakes, and protect First Amendment uses, including news reporting and satire.
Mitch Glazier, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Chairman & CEO, reiterated that The NO FAKES Act proves AI can grow while keeping American artistry safe.
“This legislation … provides balanced and effective protections for all individuals against exploitative uses of their voice and likeness while supporting free speech, reducing litigation, and achieving the promise of AI technology,” Glazier said.
(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.