According to pitchfork.com, artist FKA Twigs has filed a written testimony on artificial intelligence to a U.S. senate subcommittee, which reveals that the artist is developing her own deepfake to interact with her fans. Twigs will testify on Capitol Hill today and the letter advocates for AI as a creative and commercial tool, as long as artists consent and retain control over their representations.

In her written testimony, Twigs says her own deepfake has been in development for a year and is “not only trained in [her] personality but also can use [her] exact tone of voice to speak many languages.” The singer adds, “I will be engaging my AI twigs later this year to extend my reach and handle my online social media interactions, whilst I continue to focus on my art from the comfort and solace of my studio.”

The letter continues with, “Our careers and livelihoods are in jeopardy, and so potentially are the wider image-related rights of others in society. You have the power to change this and safeguard the future. That the very essence of our being at its most human level can be violated by the unscrupulous use of AI to create a digital facsimile that purports to be us, and our work, is inherently wrong. It is therefore vital that as an industry and as legislators we work together to ensure we do all we can to protect our creative and intellectual rights as well as the very basis of who we are.”

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property is discussing the NO FAKES (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe) Act, which is a bipartisan bill that, if passed, would hold deepfake creators liable in civil claims by the artist.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat