Consent & Digital Likeness
Your likeness, voice, and style are yours. Consent should be required before they are replicated.
The Issue
Actors, voice artists, writers, and thought leaders face unauthorized replication of their likeness, voice, and distinctive styles through digital twin technologies. Creative outputs and personal likenesses are being used for training, replication, and other purposes without permission or fair compensation.
How This Plays Out Across Disciplines
- Visual artists: AI systems replicating specific painting styles and musical compositions without artist permission or attribution
- Developers: personal coding styles and documentation approaches replicated without consent
- Writers and thought leaders: writing style and expertise simulated to create synthetic materials; protection needed against unauthorized stylistic mimicry or digital twins
- Designers: signature design aesthetics and approaches copied by AI tools for commercial use without consent
- Podcasters and video creators: voice cloning technology replicating vocal characteristics for unauthorized use
- Actors and performers: control needed over digital replicas and performance reproduction; unauthorized digital scanning
- Voice artists: rights management needed for vocal characteristics and performances
What the Law Currently Says
What is known from the Declaration: “Voice and likeness rights insufficient for protecting against deepfake and AI replication technologies.”
What Save The Creators Advocates For
STC makes three related demands on consent and digital likeness:
Demand 7: Explicit Consent for Digital Likeness
“We demand explicit consent requirements for digital likeness and voice reproduction, ensuring creators maintain control over how their personal attributes are captured, stored, and used in digital media.”
- Standardized consent forms for performance capture
- Time-limited usage rights with renewal requirements
- Right to revoke consent for future uses
Demand 8: Protection Against Digital Twins
“We demand legal frameworks protecting creators against unauthorized digital twins, preventing the simulation of creative styles, voices, and identities without permission and compensation.”
- Legal recognition of style and voice as protected attributes
- Mandatory disclosure of AI-generated simulations
- Right to compensation for stylistic appropriation
Demand 9: Standards for Digital Replication
“We demand industry standards for performer scanning and digital replication that protect performers' rights, ensure fair compensation for future uses, and prevent exploitation of digital likenesses.”
- Standardized contracts for performance capture across industries
- Secure storage requirements for digital likeness data
- Performer approval rights for all derivative uses
Declaration Principle: Consent & Attribution
“Creative work should not be used without explicit consent and proper attribution. Creators have the right to determine how their work is used and shared. Attribution isn't just naming the creator--it's maintaining the connection between creators and their work across all uses.”
What Creators Can Do Right Now
What STC Is Building
- Consent management systems that give creators control beyond the limits of copyright
- Explicit licensing frameworks for digital scanning and likeness reproduction
- Opt-in/opt-out systems for creative work usage
- Repository-level consent frameworks for code usage
- Visual attribution that travels with derivative works
Demand Consent Protections for Creators
Sign the Declaration for Creators and join the movement demanding consent, control, and compensation for your likeness, voice, and style.