(NEW YORK CITY) - New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ (SAG-AFTRA) New York Local Office to sign groundbreaking legislation that strengthens individual rights and consumer protections.

The Governor signed S.8391/A.8882 and S.8420-A/A.8887-B - two Bills championed by SAG-AFTRA that safeguard both Performers and the public from unauthorized or deceptive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uses.

The signing of these two Bills underscores New York’s growing leadership in addressing the risks posed by rapidly developing AI technologies, Union Officials said.

Together, the measures provide meaningful, enforceable protections that mitigate performance replacement, prevent consumer deception and affirm the continued value of human performance, they said.

S.8391/A.8882 updates New York’s post-mortem Right of Publicity law to prohibit the use of a digital replica of a deceased personality’s voice or likeness in an expressive audiovisual work without prior consent.

This Bill reflects a modern, consensus framework for digital replica protections that strikes a balance between protecting the First Amendment and ensuring real people’s voices and likenesses are not exploited.

S.8420-A/A.8887-B amends the general business law to require advertisers to disclose when a digitally created “synthetic performer” is used in advertisements.

This narrowly-tailored disclosure requirement protects consumers from the duplicitous use of synthetic media by ensuring that a viewer immediately knows whether the spokesman or performer they are watching is real.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, said: “These protections are the direct result of Artists, lawmakers and advocates coming together to confront the very real and immediate risks posed by unchecked AI use. By mandating transparency and securing consent, New York has drawn a bright line that puts human creativity, integrity and trust first. This is smart, forward-looking legislation that will have national impact.”

Ezra Knight, SAG-AFTRA’s New York Local President, said: “The fact that Governor Hochul chose our New York Local Office for this signing speaks volumes. It shows that SAG-AFTRA is leading, not just participating, in the movement to protect Workers from the dangers of using AI for bad purposes. New York has always been a home for Artists and today it stands as a model for how to safeguard not only our Members, but the broader public.”

To Directly Access This Labor News Report, Go To: Gov. Hochul Signs Union-Backed A.I. Bills at SAG-AFTRA New York Office | SAG-AFTRA