Film and TV ‘need rules to protect creatives from AI’

Several members of the University of Reading’s Synthetic Media Research Network have given evidence to the UK Parliament inquiry into the future of TV and film production.

Dr Mathilde Pavis – previously from Reading’s School of Law, and now expert consultant on AI in the creative industries to UNESCO – warned that UK law is failing to protect performers from unauthorised AI imitations of their voices and likenesses.

Speaking to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee during its inquiry into AI's impact on TV and film, Dr Pavis highlighted the urgent need for stronger legal protections in an era of rapidly advancing AI technology.

"We expect the UK to have a system where your digital self and your physical self are equally protected, especially now that our digital lives are such a big part of our personal and professional work," Dr Pavis told MPs. "Performers are  the canaries in the coalmine on that point."

Dr Pavis, whose research focuses on the legal protection of people's faces, voices and bodies in digital media, emphasized that current UK law relies on an inadequate and outdated patchwork of legislation.

Deepfake challenges

The University of Reading's Synthetic Media Research Network, which Dr Pavis co-chairs, brings together researchers, businesses and stakeholders to tackle the social, legal and political challenges of deepfake technology while exploring ethical applications of AI-generated media. The Network serves as a forum for addressing regulatory and legal issues surrounding synthetic media, including AI-generated content in film, healthcare, and education.

The other co-chair of the Network, Dr Dominic Lees, of the University of Reading’s School of Film, Theatre and Television, is special advisor to the inquiry.

The committee's inquiry comes as concerns grow about AI's potential to generate unauthorised imitations of performers' voices and likenesses, potentially threatening their livelihoods and creative rights.

Synthetic Media Research Network members Benjamin Field, Executive Producer at Deep Fusion Films, and Liam Budd, of the entertainment union Equity, also gave evidence in the session, held on Wednesday 11 December.