Concern 57 · Working draft · editorial review in progress
Likeness rights & deep-cloning
Likeness rights concern control over recognizable features of a person's identity, including AI-generated imitations of their appearance or performance.
Understanding the concern
A digital replica can make someone appear in a scene they never joined. This can affect reputation, livelihood, and personal control even when the image is clearly synthetic to some viewers. The relevant protections differ across places.
Copyright in an image and rights connected with the depicted person are separate issues. A permission agreement should specify what can be made and how it can be used. A policy proposal or lawsuit does not settle every person's rights.
An example
An actor agrees to one recorded performance, then discovers that a synthetic version appears in a different production.
Illustrative unless identified as a documented case.
Words in plain English
- AI
- Software that learns patterns from examples or uses rules to perform tasks such as recognizing images or generating text. It can make mistakes and does not understand every situation as a person would.
- Synthetic
- Made by a computer or another artificial process rather than directly recorded from the event being described.
Evidence and its limits
The report analyzes the patchwork of identity protections and possible reforms; individual legal outcomes remain fact-dependent.
U.S. Copyright Office · July 2024 · Official policy report
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 1: Digital Replicas ↗ (opens in a new tab)Examines voice and likeness protections and proposes policy changes. Recommendations must not be described as enacted law.
Broader frameworks and background
These resources provide context. They do not establish every claim in this concern.
A question to discuss
Does the permission cover this particular replica, purpose, and period of use?
Keep track of different views, what needs checking, and any next step in your own discussion notes.
Open discussion notes →Principles for the conversation
Before you finish · reflect together
Virtues and principles to consider
Virtues are qualities we practice in how we treat people and make choices. They are not scores for judging someone. Use these ideas to explore what a thoughtful response could look like.
Truthfulness
Truthfulness means making claims that match the evidence and being clear about what we do not know. It includes correcting mistakes rather than protecting a polished story.
Check sources, label guesses, and distinguish a trial result from a proven benefit. If AI helped produce a claim, someone still needs to take responsibility for checking it.
Ask together: What can we honestly say, and what still needs checking?
Justice
Justice means fair treatment, fair procedures, and attention to who receives benefits and burdens. It asks whether people with less power can be heard and seek repair.
Look at outcomes across different groups and individual cases. Provide a usable way to challenge decisions and correct harm. Equal wording in a policy does not guarantee equal treatment in practice.
Ask together: Who benefits, who bears the cost, and who can challenge the decision?
Stewardship
Stewardship means caring for resources and systems that others depend on, including people who will use them later. It looks beyond the benefit of a quick launch.
Plan for maintenance, energy use, data protection, and eventual shutdown. Ask who will look after the tool when the original team moves on and how future users can avoid inheriting hidden costs.
Ask together: What are we responsible for caring for over time?
Editorial ratings
These are editorial judgments from the register, not measured probabilities or predictions about your situation.
About the register and scoring →More ways to explore
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