Back
signed by Governor Bill Lee on March 21, 2024
governmentThis official government announcement documents a landmark early state-level AI governance action; useful as a concrete policy case study for AI regulation focused on identity, voice, and creative rights rather than existential or systemic AI risks.
Metadata
Importance: 45/100press releaseprimary source
Summary
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the ELVIS Act (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act) on March 21, 2024, making Tennessee the first state to legally protect musicians and performers from unauthorized AI voice cloning and deepfake impersonation. The law expands existing personal rights protections to explicitly include 'voice' alongside name, image, and likeness. It represents an early concrete example of state-level AI governance responding to generative AI harms in a specific industry.
Key Points
- •First U.S. state law specifically addressing AI-generated synthetic media threats to musicians, updating Tennessee's Protection of Personal Rights law to include voice protections.
- •Targets generative AI cloning models and services enabling unauthorized impersonation, closing a gap in existing name/image/likeness protections.
- •Backed by broad music industry coalition including RIAA, ASCAP, Academy of Country Music, and others, reflecting industry-driven policy advocacy.
- •Protects an industry contributing $5.8 billion to Tennessee's GDP and over 61,000 jobs, framing AI governance as an economic and cultural issue.
- •Signals momentum for similar legislation in other states and at the federal level, serving as a policy template for AI personality rights.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| US State AI Legislation Landscape | Analysis | 70.0 |
Cached Content Preview
HTTP 200Fetched Apr 7, 20267 KB
PHOTOS: Gov. Lee Signs ELVIS Act Into Law
Mar
APR
May
06
2025
2026
2027
success
fail
About this capture
COLLECTED BY
Collection: Tow Center Pink Slime News Sites
TIMESTAMPS
The Wayback Machine - http://web.archive.org/web/20260406111034/https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2024/3/21/photos--gov--lee-signs-elvis-act-into-law.html
Skip to Main Content
Go to TN.gov
Go to TN.gov
Section
Go to Governor
Governor Bill Lee
Meet Governor Bill Lee
Meet First Lady Maria Lee
Cabinet
Proclamations
Executive Orders
Governor’s Excellence in Service Awards
Priorities
Education Freedom
School Safety
Supporting Rural Tennessee
EveryChildTN
Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses
News
State of the State
2019 State of the State Address
2020 State of the State Address
2021 State of the State Address
2022 State of the State Address
2023 State of the State Address
2024 State of the State Address
2025 State of the State Address
2026 State of the State Address
Bill Review
Contact Us
Constituent Requests
Department Directory
Public Records Policy
Management Fellowship
Internship Program
Veteran Fellowship
Print This Page
Print This Page
Go to Search
PHOTOS: Gov. Lee Signs ELVIS Act Into Law
Tennessee First in the Nation to Address AI Impact on Music Industry
Thursday, March 21, 2024 | 03:08pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee was joined by legislative leadership and music industry professionals as he signed the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, first-of-its-kind legislation updating Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law to include protections or songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals’ voice from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).
Click here to download photos from the signing.
Tennessee’s music industry supports more than 61,617 jobs across the state, contributes $5.8 billion to our GDP, and fills over 4,500 music venues.
“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” said Gov. Lee. “As the technology landscape evolves with a
... (truncated, 7 KB total)Resource ID:
5976d3e9be0cd5a1 | Stable ID: sid_sSAl1ehviF