CMG Worldwide teams with Loti AI to protect the estates of Hollywood legends
Hollywood studios, unions, and technology firms are stepping up efforts to protect performers’ rights and creative content amid the rise of AI-generated media. New laws and industry agreements aim to prevent unauthorized use of actors’ likenesses and ensure copyright protections in productions using artificial intelligence. As AI tools become more widespread in content creation, the entertainment industry faces increasing pressure to balance innovation with safeguarding the work and rights of those involved in filmmaking.
CMG Worldwide teams with Loti AI to protect the estates of Hollywood legends
As concerns grow over OpenAI’s Sora 2 deepfake technology, a new partnership aims to protect the estates of Hollywood legends and cultural icons. Deepfake detection firm Loti AI has teamed with intellectual property manager CMG Worldwide to protect likenesses of deceased Hollywood actors, including Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart, and Burt Reynolds. Together, they use cutting-edge tech to monitor, detect, and remove unauthorized digital reproductions of voices and images. CMG’s vast portfolio spans entertainment, sports, history, and culture, with protections extending to figures like Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Rosa Parks, and Neil Armstrong.
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SAG-AFTRA and Equity threaten mass action over unauthorized AI use of actors’ likenesses
Equity has threatened mass direct action over the unauthorized use of its members’ images, voices, and likenesses in AI-generated content by tech and entertainment companies. The performing arts union revealed a rising tide of complaints from members over copyright infringements and misuse of personal data in AI productions. General Secretary Paul W. Fleming announced plans to coordinate mass data requests to compel companies to disclose whether they have used members’ data without consent. The union is backing a Scottish actor who alleges her likeness was used in creating the controversial AI character “Tilly Norwood,” a move widely condemned across the film industry.
SAG-AFTRA has firmly condemned Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated “actress” stirring controversy in Hollywood after her creator, Eline Van der Velden, claimed multiple talent agents showed interest in signing the digital entity. The union emphasized that creativity must remain human-centered and opposed replacing real performers with synthetic alternatives. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA clarified that Tilly is not an actor but a computer-generated character built from the work of numerous professionals without their consent or compensation. The guild warned that such AI creations undermine human artistry and threaten actors’ livelihoods. Van der Velden defended Tilly as a creative work, not a human replacement, likening AI to a new artistic tool akin to animation or CGI.
California passes new laws restricting AI use of performers’ likenesses and protecting content creators
California lawmakers scored a win for creators with new legislation targeting the unauthorized use of performers’ digital likenesses amid the rising threat of AI. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last September, the laws build on ongoing legal and labor battles spotlighted during last year’s high-profile artists’ strike involving SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild. The bills address concerns that extend far beyond actors to encompass voice artists, screenwriters, musicians, and other creatives whose images and performances are increasingly at risk of being replicated without consent.
California recently enacted two landmark laws aimed at protecting performers’ digital likeness rights amid rising AI use in entertainment and media. Assembly Bill 1836 and Assembly Bill 2602, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, address unauthorized digital replicas of both living and deceased artists. AB 1836 targets the use of digital likenesses of deceased performers, prohibiting use without the prior consent of the artist or heirs for specific applications. It defines a “digital replica” as a computer-generated representation substantially altering or replacing the original performance. Meanwhile, AB 2602 strengthens protections for living artists by requiring transparent contracts that detail specific AI use and ensuring performers have proper legal or union representation when licensing their digital replicas.
Jeremy Renner lends voice to AI-animated odyssey Stardust Future
Filmmaker and multimedia artist Yi Zhou returns with Stardust Future: Stars and Scars, the first full-length animated feature created entirely with artificial intelligence. This 82-minute odyssey blends art, sound, and consciousness into a continuous experience, with Jeremy Renner reprising their collaboration from the documentary Chronicles of Disney. Renner voices the Oracle of Time, a guide through the birth of the universe, human evolution, and the future, marking his return to voice acting after a near-fatal accident. The film moves through galaxies, dreams, and symbols — from stardust to scars, destruction to creation — in a meditation on survival and transformation. Featuring original music by Zhou alongside tributes to Ennio Morricone and the Into the Sun Collective, the immersive score expands Morricone’s visionary themes into a sonic landscape of memory and renewal. Proceeds support Renner’s Rennervation Foundation for foster youth and the Motion Picture and Television Fund, aiding those affected by California’s 2025 wildfires.
