In a rare alliance, Washington and Hollywood have collaborated to shape a federal AI framework that prioritises performers' rights, addressing long-standing industry concerns about the misuse of voices and likenesses in artificial intelligence systems.

A surprising alignment has emerged between Washington and Hollywood over the governance of generative artificial intelligence, with the performers’ union SAG-AFTRA publicly welcoming the administration’s new national AI framework. According to the White House fact sheet, the executive order announced in December 2025 creates a coordinated federal approach intended to pre-empt a patchwork of state laws and set uniform standards for AI development and deployment.

SAG-AFTRA’s endorsement reflects long-standing union concerns that algorithmic systems can appropriate performers’ voices and likenesses without consent or compensation. The union has repeatedly advocated for federal protections for creative rights, including public remarks by its leadership at industry forums and statements emphasising the need for enforceable safeguards for members’ performances and images.

Central to the White House framework is a declaration that performances and physical likenesses are not merely “raw material” for unrestricted data harvesting, a stance that directly addresses the core anxieties that fuelled the industry’s recent labour disputes. The administration’s plan also directs federal agencies to evaluate and, where necessary, challenge state laws that conflict with national policy objectives, signalling an intent to establish federal supremacy on AI regulation.

The policy’s preference for a marketplace of licensing rather than loose fair-use defences offers unions fresh leverage to negotiate terms for how studios and technology firms may train models on copyrighted material. SAG-AFTRA leaders have previously defended negotiated AI terms as the best available protections for members and have urged collective bargaining rights over how performers’ work is used in algorithmic systems.

Industry trade groups joined the chorus for clear federal rules, underscoring concerns that a fragmented web of state statutes would complicate enforcement against unauthorised digital replicas. The union’s call for rapid passage of a bipartisan bill to create an explicit intellectual property right for voice and likenesses, often discussed under the NO FAKES rubric, reflects a wider push in the entertainment sector for a single, enforceable national standard.

Legal strategists in the sector favour resolving disputes over unauthorised model training through courts rather than through permissive legislative carve-outs for tech firms, arguing that existing copyright law should be applied to deter and remedy unlawful scraping. At the same time, the White House order establishes an AI Litigation Task Force to coordinate federal challenges where state measures are judged to impede national priorities.

Where the framework’s impact will be judged is in its implementation and the legislative battles ahead. Technology companies are expected to resist rules that impose retroactive compensation or strict limits on training pipelines, while performers’ groups and studios that rely on creative content will press for enforceable revenue-sharing and anti-deepfake protections. The outcome will shape whether creators retain control over the digital reproduction of their craft as AI becomes ever more capable.

Source Reference Map

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Source: Noah Wire Services

Verification / Sources

  • https://www.abacusnews.com/unlikely-allies-how-trumps-new-ai-policy-won-over-hollywoods-biggest-union/ - Please view link - unable to able to access data
  • https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ensures-a-national-policy-framework-for-artificial-intelligence/ - In December 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order titled 'Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence'. This order aims to establish federal supremacy over state AI regulations, directing multiple federal agencies to challenge and preempt state AI laws. The administration expressed concerns that some state-level regulations may be overly burdensome or counterproductive to U.S. AI leadership and innovation. The order outlines coordinated actions to address these issues, including the establishment of an AI Litigation Task Force and evaluations of state AI laws that conflict with national policy priorities.
  • https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-statement-president-trumps-plan-entertainment-industry - In May 2025, SAG-AFTRA released a statement regarding President Trump's plan for the entertainment industry. The union expressed support for efforts to increase movie, television, and streaming production in the United States. They emphasized the importance of policies that strengthen the industry's competitive position, accelerate economic growth, and create good middle-class jobs for American workers. SAG-AFTRA indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue to achieve these common goals, highlighting their commitment to advancing the interests of their members in the evolving entertainment landscape.
  • https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-advocates-public-policies-ai-vocalizes-support-federal-regulations-digital-hollywood - In August 2024, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, along with other staff members, participated in virtual panels at Digital Hollywood’s A.I. Summer Summit. Crabtree-Ireland spoke on the panel 'A.I. and the Crisis of Creative Rights and Disinformation: Deepfakes, Ethics and the Law'. The discussions focused on creative rights and the necessity of legislative protections against artificial intelligence, underscoring SAG-AFTRA's advocacy for public policies on AI and their support for federal regulations in the entertainment industry.
  • https://www.sagaftra.org/thank-you-defending-ai-regulations - In July 2025, SAG-AFTRA thanked its members for their efforts in defending AI regulations. The union highlighted the Senate's vote to remove a federal provision in the 2025 tax and spending bill that would have prohibited states from regulating artificial intelligence. This provision, if enacted, could have had significant implications for issues such as AI safety, transparency, broadband access, environmental justice, civil rights, and platform accountability. The removal of this provision was seen as a victory for individual rights in the age of AI.
  • https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-leaders-defend-ai-terms-strike-agreement-los-angeles-times - In November 2023, SAG-AFTRA leaders defended the artificial intelligence terms of their tentative deal with major Hollywood studios. The union addressed criticism from some members who felt that the AI protections were insufficient. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland emphasized that they had achieved the best possible deal under the circumstances, highlighting the importance of the AI terms in the agreement and their commitment to protecting the interests of performers in the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
  • https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ensures-a-national-policy-framework-for-artificial-intelligence/ - In December 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order titled 'Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence'. This order aims to establish federal supremacy over state AI regulations, directing multiple federal agencies to challenge and preempt state AI laws. The administration expressed concerns that some state-level regulations may be overly burdensome or counterproductive to U.S. AI leadership and innovation. The order outlines coordinated actions to address these issues, including the establishment of an AI Litigation Task Force and evaluations of state AI laws that conflict with national policy priorities.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We've since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The article was published on March 29, 2026, providing timely coverage of recent events. However, the narrative closely mirrors content from a December 2025 press release by the White House, which announced the national AI framework. This raises concerns about originality, as the article may be repurposing existing information without significant new insights. Additionally, the article references a Fox News report on the policy rollout, but no direct link is provided, making it difficult to verify the source. The lack of direct citations to primary sources diminishes the article's freshness score.

Quotes check

Score: 6

Notes: The article includes direct quotes from SAG-AFTRA leadership praising the Trump administration's AI policy. However, these quotes cannot be independently verified, as no direct links to the original statements are provided. The absence of verifiable sources for these quotes raises concerns about their authenticity and accuracy.

Source reliability

Score: 5

Notes: The article originates from Abacus News, a niche publication with limited reach and recognition. This raises questions about the reliability and credibility of the source. The lack of information about the publication's editorial standards and fact-checking processes further diminishes the source's reliability score.

Plausibility check

Score: 7

Notes: The claims made in the article align with known industry concerns regarding AI's impact on performers' rights and the entertainment sector. However, the article's reliance on unverified quotes and the absence of direct citations to primary sources weaken the overall plausibility of the narrative. The lack of corroboration from other reputable outlets further diminishes the plausibility score.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): FAIL

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: The article raises significant concerns regarding its originality, source reliability, and the verifiability of its claims. The lack of independent verification and reliance on unverified quotes diminish the article's credibility. Given these issues, the content cannot be covered under our standard editorial indemnity.