The California Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to protect artists from unauthorized AI replicas, with the bill soon heading to the governor’s desk.

SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, has made the bill one of its top priorities this year. AB 2602 would require explicit consent for the use of a “digital replica” of a performer.

The bill mirrors language in the SAG-AFTRA contract that ended a four-month strike against the film and TV studios last year. It would also extend those protections to other types of performances, such as video games, audiobooks and commercials, and would include non-union work.

"We want to make sure that people who are not currently covered by any of our agreements are protected," said Jeffrey Bennett, general counsel for SAG-AFTRA. "We don't want the next generation of artists to lose all rights to their voice and likeness because they don't have the leverage or ability to secure fair terms."