One senator blocked the AI deepfakes bill, RIAA chief says
A single objection stopped a US bill against AI deepfakes.
Mitch Glazier, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the trade body that represents US record labels, described the setback in an interview published on 7 October. He spoke to Billboard On the Record about the upcoming midterm elections, US President Donald Trump's second term and music-rights lobbying on Capitol Hill. Billboard
The conversation, titled ‘RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier on AI, Copyright & Congress’, centred on the NO FAKES Act. The bill would create a federal right against unauthorised digital replicas, meaning an AI-generated copy of a person’s voice, face or likeness made without permission. Glazier described it as RIAA’s leading legislative priority. Billboard
The proposal has had a long run in Washington. It first appeared as a draft bill in 2023, was formally introduced in 2024, and has since been reintroduced in the House and Senate for several years in a row.
What makes this push stand out is the breadth of the coalition behind it. Supporters include tech companies Google and OpenAI alongside the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA and the Motion Picture Association.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, brought the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. Glazier said it drew nearly universal support. It was blocked by one dissenter, Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas.
Cruz objected on the grounds that the bill did not include sufficient exceptions for satire or political commentary. That covers cases where someone’s image is used to make a joke or a political point.
Glazier has not given up on 2026. He said the bill could still pass by unanimous consent during the lame-duck period, the stretch after the November elections when outgoing members sit for the final weeks of the year. Unanimous consent is a fast-track Senate procedure that allows a bill through if no senator objects.
For listeners, this means the fight is about consent and payment. Labels, performers and studios want a clear rule for when an AI voice or face can be used and who gets paid. Tech firms want workable limits that still allow development.
