SB 271: Unauthorized Artificial Intelligence Impersonation Amendments - Utah

Amended 2/27/2025 18:02:711 → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill substitutes a new version of SB 271 that expands protections against unauthorized use of personal identity, particularly through artificial intelligence. The changes clarify definitions, broaden what constitutes abuse to include commercial use of AI-generated content, and maintain exemptions for news, entertainment, and fair use scenarios.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly cover unauthorized commercial use of simulated or artificially recreated personal identities, including AI-generated content.

DEFINITION

Added definition for 'Generative artificial intelligence' to clarify what AI systems are covered under the law.

Updated 'Personal identity' definition to explicitly include video likeness, voice, and audiovisual appearance.

SCOPE

Expanded abuse provisions to include unauthorized commercial use of content that simulates or recreates an individual's personal identity.

TECHNICAL

Reformatted text with bracketed deletions and insertions to show specific word changes between versions.

Changed some language from 'person' to 'individual' for consistency throughout the definitions section.

Amended Excerpts 2/27/2025 18:02:711 → Amended 2/27/2025 18:02:711 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's existing identity theft and personal identity protection laws to explicitly include unauthorized use of artificial intelligence and simulated identities. The changes expand legal protections to cover digital recreations of people's voices, images, and likenesses, particularly when used for commercial purposes without consent.

Scope change

The bill significantly expands the scope of protected personal identity to include AI-generated simulations, computer animations, and digital manipulations of a person's name, title, picture, portrait, video likeness, voice, or audiovisual appearance.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'Generative artificial intelligence' and expanded 'Personal identity' to include simulations and artificial recreations created through AI, computer animation, or digital manipulation.

Updated the definition of 'Consent' to specifically reference 'personal identity' rather than just name, title, picture, or portrait, and clarified that consent cannot be inferred from someone's silence.

Modified the definition of 'Voice' to include computer-generated sounds that simulate an individual's speech, regardless of whether the actual voice is contained.

SCOPE

Modified the definition of 'Advertisement' and 'Cause the publication' to include content that uses, simulates, or recreates an individual's personal identity, not just traditional advertisements.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements that prohibit distribution of technology primarily designed for unauthorized creation of content using personal identities for commercial purposes.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 2/27/2025 18:02:711 · 3 edits

MINOR

Senate amendments to SB 271 refine definitions and clarify exemptions related to unauthorized AI impersonation. The changes adjust how 'voice' is defined to include simulated sounds, remove language about 'intended primary purpose' for technology distribution, and add a Section 230 immunity provision for interactive computer services.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on unauthorized AI impersonation, but the amendments modify specific definitions and add protections for online platforms.

DEFINITION

Definition of 'voice' was expanded to include simulated speech sounds, not just computer-generated sounds, and clarified that the method of creation doesn't matter.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the phrase 'whose intended primary purpose is' from the prohibition on distributing technology for unauthorized content creation, making the ban broader.

EXEMPTIONS

Added a new subsection providing immunity for interactive computer services (like social media platforms) from liability for user-generated content under this bill.

Introduced → Enrolled · 8 edits · Mar 27, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Utah's right of publicity laws to address unauthorized use of personal identity through artificial intelligence and other digital technologies. It expands protections to include AI-generated content, clarifies definitions for modern media, and creates new civil remedies for individuals whose identity is misused commercially.

Scope change

Expanded from traditional right of publicity claims to include unauthorized commercial use of AI-generated or digitally recreated personal identities, including voice, video likeness, and audiovisual appearance.

DEFINITION

Added new definition for 'generative artificial intelligence' to cover AI systems that create non-scripted outputs similar to human creation with limited oversight.

Expanded 'personal identity' to include video likeness, voice, and audiovisual appearance, not just name, title, picture, or portrait.

SCOPE

Broadened abuse of personal identity to include unauthorized commercial use of simulated or artificially recreated identities, including AI-generated content.

REQUIREMENT

Prohibits distribution, sale, or licensing of technology primarily designed for unauthorized creation of content using personal identities for commercial purposes.

ENFORCEMENT

Added civil cause of action allowing individuals to sue for injunctive relief, damages, exemplary damages, and attorney's fees when their personal identity is abused.

Created liability for publishers who fail to take reasonable steps to verify consent when content is unlikely to be consented to by a reasonable person.

EXEMPTIONS

Established fair use exemptions for news, public affairs, sports, comment, criticism, scholarship, satire, parody, and fleeting or incidental uses.

TECHNICAL

Updated House Sponsor name from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Jordan D. Teuscher' and made minor formatting corrections throughout the text.

Unauthorized Artificial Intelligence Impersonation Amendments

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