WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, held a roundtable on Capitol Hill with more than 20 artists to discuss the Senators’ bipartisan TRAIN Act and NO FAKES Act. The artists visited Capitol Hill as part of the Recording Academy’s GRAMMYs on the Hill Advocacy Day.  

The Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act and the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act (NO FAKES) Act would empower artists to access the courts to protect their copyrighted works when they are used to train generative AI models, and protect creators from harmful deepfakes. 

“The arts help us find a way to come together at a time where there’s just so much conflict and division. The voices, words, heart, and soul that live in the music artists create is astonishing—that’s deeply human, and can’t be replicated by AI,” said Senator Welch. “The TRAIN Act is an incredibly important, bipartisan bill to stand up to AI and give power back to creators. I’m glad to champion this bill alongside Senator Blackburn to protect and stand up for the contribution that each and every artist makes that is so essential to the well-being, emotional health, and soul of everyone in this country.” 

“Our Constitution—specifically, Article I, Section 8, Clause 8—gives all creators in our country the guaranteed right to benefit from their works, but AI is increasingly challenging this right that our creative community relies on to make a living,” said Senator Blackburn. “The NO FAKES Act would address the harms deepfakes post for creators, and the TRAIN Act would empower creators to protect their copyrighted works when they are used to train generative AI models. It was an honor to hear from singers, songwriters, and entertainers who recognize the value of this critical legislation and are pushing Congress to get these bills across the finish line.” 

View more photos from the event below: 

Currently, there is no reliable way for copyright owners to determine if AI companies used their works without permission to train AI models. Copyright owners—particularly small creators—are struggling to navigate novel legal issues posed by AI copying their work. There are very few AI companies that share how their models were trained and nothing in current law requires them to disclose training materials to creators. 

With the rapid advance of generative AI, artists and creators have already begun to see their voices and likenesses used without their consent in videos and songs created as nearly indistinguishable replicas. The NO FAKES Act would address the use of non-consensual digital replications in audiovisual works or sound recordings. Learn more about the bill here. 

The TRAIN Act would promote transparency about when and how copyrighted works are used to train generative AI models by enabling copyright holders to obtain this information through an administrative subpoena. Modeled on the process used for matters of internet piracy, the bill would provide access to the courts for copyright holders with a good faith belief that their copyrighted material was used. Only training material with artists’ copyrighted works need be made available. 

The TRAIN Act would also ensure that subpoenas are granted only upon a copyright owner’s sworn declaration that they have a good faith belief their work was used to train the model, and that their purpose is to protect their rights. Failure to comply with a subpoena creates a rebuttable presumption that the model developer made copies of the copyrighted work. Joining Senators Welch and Blackburn on the bill are Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). 

The TRAIN Act has the support of the creative community and is endorsed by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)*, The American Society for Collective Rights Licensing (ASCRL), American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Association of American Publishers (AAP), Authors Guild, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), Human Artistry Campaign**, Global Music Rights, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), National Music Council (NMC), National Music Publisher’s Association (NMPA), Nashville Songwriters Association International, Recording Academy, Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD), Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), SAG-AFTRA, Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC), The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL), The Songwriters Guild of America (SGA)***, SoundExchange, Transparency Coalition, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group.    

Read what leading voices in the creative industries are saying about the TRAIN Act here. 

Learn more about the TRAIN Act and read a section-by-section summary of the bill. 

Read and download the full text of the TRAIN Act. 

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