FKA Twigs joins a select group of celebrities (ahem Drake), endorsing the advantages of artificial intelligence
On Tuesday (April 30), the British artist, scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill, submitted a written statement endorsing artificial intelligence to a U.S. Senate subcommittee. She also disclosed her ongoing development of a personal deepfake technology, per Rolling Stone.
“My art is the canvas on which I paint my identity and the sustaining foundation of my livelihood. It is the essence of my being. Yet this is under threat. AI cannot replicate the depth of my life journey, yet those who control it hold the power to mimic the likeness of my art, to replicate it and falsely claim my identity and intellectual property. This prospect threatens to rewrite and unravel the fabric of my very existence. We must enact regulation now to safeguard our authenticity and protect against misappropriation of our inalienable rights,” Twigs wrote in her statement.
She further mentions that her personal deepfake has been under development for a year, emphasizing that it’s not only programmed with her personality but can also mimic her precise tone in speaking multiple languages. “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,” Twigs wrote. “These and similar emerging technologies are highly valuable tools both artistically and commercially when under the control of the artist.”
“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,” the statement continues.
“As artists and, more importantly, human beings, we are a facet of our given, learned, and developed identity. Our creativity is the product of this lived experience overlaid with years of dedication to qualification, training, hard work and, dare I say it, significant financial investment and sacrifice. 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.”
FKA Twigs’s presence on Capitol Hill is a direct response to a newly proposed bipartisan Senate bill aimed at providing greater legal protection to actors and recording artists. Known as the NO FAKES (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe) Act, the legislation aims to deter the unauthorized use of AI-generated deepfakes depicting their likeness.
On the flip side, over 200 celebrities, including super stars like Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, J Balvin, and Stevie Wonder, penned an open letter addressed to AI developers, tech companies, and digital platforms urging them to “cease the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.”