YouTube on Tuesday announced a partnership with Century City-based talent representation firm Creative Artists Agency that will help actors and athletes better manage their digital likenesses in AI generated content.
Next year, actors and athletes from the NBA and NFL will have access to technology that will identify AI-generated content on YouTube that features their digital likeness, including their faces, and give them the option of requesting it is removed through a privacy complaint process, YouTube said.
The popular video platform, which is owned by search giant Google, said this is part of a larger testing effort for its likeness management technology.
“By collaborating with CAA, we’ll gain insight from some of the world’s most influential figures—some of whom have been significantly impacted by the latest waves of AI innovation—to refine our product before releasing it to a wider group of creators and artists,” YouTube said in a blog post.
YouTube said in the next few months it will announce other testing cohorts, including top YouTube creators and creative professionals.
“In the days ahead, we’ll work with CAA to ensure artists and creators experience the incredible potential of AI while also maintaining creative control over their likeness,” YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said in a statement. “This partnership marks a significant step toward building that future.”
Many people in Hollywood have expressed concerns regarding the growth of AI, AI’s impact on jobs and how artists will get compensated for AI’s usage of their likeness. There have also been worries expressed about the proliferation of deepfakes, including fake videos depicting celebrities endorsing or doing activities that they did not actually do.
A ChatGPT voice, Sky, used by OpenAI stirred controversy earlier this year. CAA client and “Black Widow” actor Scarlett Johansson raised concerns that the San
Francisco-based AI firm used her voice in a demo without her permission. OpenAI said it used another actor’s voice but took it down.
CAA has made efforts to protect the rights of its clients, including launching theCAAvault last year for its clients, which scans clients’ bodies and records their movements and voices to create a digital version of them. Those who wish to participate will be able to create and own their own digital likenesses, which the agency believes will help protect those clients against copyright infringement and allow talent to make more money.
The agency said at this time it is not disclosing the names or number of client participants that will access the technology as part of the YouTube partnership. CAA’s clients include George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman.
“At CAA, our AI conversations are centered around ethics and talent rights, and we applaud YouTube’s leadership for creating this talent-friendly solution, which fundamentally aligns with our goals,” said CAA Chief Executive Bryan Lourd in a statement. “We are proud to partner with YouTube as it takes this significant step in empowering talent with greater control over their digital likeness and how and where it is used.”