“In a major deal that could have implications for the broader use of generative artificial intelligence in Hollywood, YouTube and CAA are teaming up on tools that will let celebrities manage their likenesses on the platform, including on videos that may use generative AI to recreate a star’s appearance. The Google-owned video platform and talent”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
The Google-owned video platform and talent agency announced the deal Tuesday morning, framing it as a way to responsibly use AI tech while protecting artists and creators. YouTube says that over the next few months, it will also begin testing the tools with “top YouTube creators, creative professionals, and other leading partners representing talent.”
“Neal and I started speaking earlier this year about the importance of creating a responsible AI ecosystem that protects artists, while unlocking new possibilities for creative expression,” CAA CEO and co-chairman Bryan Lourd says. “At CAA, our AI conversations are centered around ethics and talent rights, and we applaud YouTube’s leadership for creating this talent-friendly solution, which fundamentally aligns with our goals. We are proud to partner with YouTube as it takes this significant step in empowering talent with greater control over their digital likeness and how and where it is used.”
“At YouTube, we believe that a responsible approach to AI starts with strong partnerships,” YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says. “We’re excited to collaborate with CAA, an organization that shares our commitment to empowering artists and creators. In the days ahead, we’ll work with CAA to ensure artists and creators experience the incredible potential of AI while also maintaining creative control over their likeness. This partnership marks a significant step toward building that future.”
The specifics on the new tools are a little vague for now, with the platform saying that it is “early-stage technology designed to identify and manage AI-generated content that features their likeness, including their face, on YouTube at scale.”
In addition to surfacing content that features their likeness, celebrities will also be able to submit requests for removal via YouTube’s privacy complaint process.
CAA has had a complex relationship with generative AI tech. The agency has been aggressive in defending its clients, as when Scarlett Johansson criticized OpenAI for releasing an AI-generated voice that sounded suspiciously like her own.
“[OpenAI CEO Sam Altman] lives in a different world and has a different understanding of what artists do and what they own, literally and ethically and morally,” Lourd said at a Financial Times conference in June. “To OpenAI’s credit, they took [the voice] down when I asked them to take it down. I don’t think they did that out of the goodness of their heart. I think they took it down because they realized how complicated a situation they’d created and stepped into.”
He also said at the conference that there was “nothing but opportunities around AI,” given the ability for stars to monetize their likenesses in ways that require far less actual labor, and the ability to make far more content at a lower cost.
CAA has its own business, the CAA Vault, which houses digital likenesses and voices for stars that can be licensed for film, TV and commercial projects, with their approval and with compensation, of course.
CAA and New Enterprise Associates’ Connect Ventures also led a $20 million investment round into Deep Voodoo, a deepfake company founded by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
YouTube, meanwhile, has been aggressively adding AI tools to its platform to help creators develop and publish content. At the same time, it has promised to add guardrails specifically cracking down on deepfakes and sound-alikes.
The company said it was developing likeness-detecting tech earlier this year, with the CAA partnership the first step to launching it at scale.
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