In a notable show of support, the actors' union SAG-AFTRA has endorsed the Trump administration's newly released national policy framework for artificial intelligence. The union's leadership argues the guidelines could establish vital protections for performers in an era of rapidly advancing synthetic media.

A union spokesperson stated the framework correctly links American innovation in AI with safeguarding human creativity. "Our members' performances, voices, and likenesses are the product of talent and labor, not free raw material for the taking," the spokesperson said. The union emphasized that existing courts are the proper venue for copyright disputes arising from AI model training, rather than requiring new laws.

Central to the endorsement is the call for federal legislation against digital replica abuse, specifically backing the bipartisan NO FAKES Act. SAG-AFTRA stressed that while individuals must have control over their digital selves, such measures cannot undermine First Amendment freedoms essential to creative work. The union also highlighted the framework's principles that workers should benefit from AI gains and that free-market licensing, bolstered by collective bargaining, must remain robust.

The administration's framework, introduced last week, follows an executive order from December that preempted state-level AI rules. It urges congressional action on several fronts, including intellectual property rights, workforce development, and removing regulatory hurdles for data centers and AI innovation. For Hollywood's largest union, the document represents a potential legislative path to guard against nonconsensual digital replication while navigating the complex intersection of technology and expression.

Source: Deadline