U.S. Representatives Beth Van Duyne, Yvette D. Clarke, and Valerie Foushee announced on June 3 the introduction of the Creative Rights Ensuring Artists’ Technique and Originality Are Reserved (CREATOR) Act in Washington, D.C. The legislation aims to safeguard visual artists from unauthorized commercial exploitation of their unique artistic styles by artificial intelligence technologies.
The CREATOR Act would establish a new federal right protecting visual artists from the commercial use and public distribution of AI-generated works that impersonate their style without consent. This effort is part of the Congressional Creators Caucus’ mission to support creators while fostering innovation and protecting intellectual property rights.
Van Duyne said, “Since launching the Congressional Creators Caucus, I’ve had the privilege of hearing directly from an incredible and growing community of creators across this country. Artists, illustrators, and designers in every district are watching their livelihoods be undercut by AI tools deliberately impersonating them, but right now, the law has no answer for it. These are people who have spent a lifetime building their creative identity – they deserve protection. I have heard loud and clear that this is a growing problem across the industry, and the CREATOR Act is a direct response. I’m glad to be leading this bipartisan effort alongside Representatives Clarke and Foushee, taking direct aim at the bad actors who knowingly use AI to fake an artist’s identity for commercial gain.”
Clarke said, “Creators and artists have been sounding the alarm about the misuse of their work and identities by AI systems,” adding that Congress must ensure protections for content creators as technology evolves rapidly. Foushee stated that “Creative jobs and workers must be supported as AI threatens to disrupt their livelihoods,” emphasizing that regulating this technology should be a congressional priority.
Industry voices also weighed in on the proposed legislation. Louise Pentland of Adobe said: “AI has the power to supercharge human creativity — but only if creators have rights that match the realities of the technology.” Illustrator Fabiola Lara expressed support for legal recourse against unauthorized replication: “When AI is used to replicate work without consent… it’s profiting unfairly off someone else’s creative vision.” Additional endorsements came from photographer Alexsey Reyes; Andrew Scrivani; Rachel Sheeran from The Graphic Artists Guild; Aaron Cooper from Business Software Alliance; and Professor Jeffrey Sedlik from PLUS Coalition.
Beth Van Duyne currently serves in Congress representing Texas’ 24th district after replacing Kenny Marchant in 2021, according to her official website.
