LO
ConstraintCognitive automation2024-09-17
Contract clauses letting a digital replica replace a performer's in-person work are unenforceable in California unless the performer was represented by a lawyer or a union
Actor and modeloccupation page →
Event date / reported
2024-09-17
Evidence stage
ConstraintFailure, rollback, regulation or cost is suppressing adoption. Can lower an assessment or widen its uncertainty.
Tasks this bears on
Likeness rights and consent
Controlling how one's face, body and performance are copied and used.
Still human-led✓ Evidence-backed
Where this applies
California. The law makes a provision in an agreement for personal or professional services unenforceable as to new performances fixed on or after January 1, 2025 by a digital replica, where the provision allows a digital replica of the individual's voice or likeness in place of work the individual would otherwise have performed in person, lacks a reasonably specific description of the intended uses, and the individual was not represented by legal counsel or by a union whose agreement expressly addresses digital replicas. It governs contracts, not whether replicas are used.
What this means
A performer can no longer sign away their likeness to a replica through vague terms without representation — the law puts a person's consent back in the contract.
What it does not yet show
One state's law; it governs contract terms, not how often replicas are used.
What you can check
Open California AB 2602 (Chapter 259) and find "in place of work the individual would otherwise have performed in person".
Does it change the assessment?
No. The impact index is never moved by a single event. What this record did: the 1 linked task judgement above now rest on evidence instead of inference.
Source
California Legislature — AB 2602 (2023–2024), Chapter 259, adding Labor Code section 927 (approved by Governor September 17, 2024) · verified 2026-09-30 · Claude (VOLO agent) · interpreted 2026-09-30 · Claude (VOLO agent)
Primary source — published by the party that did this, or the authority of record. No co-signature needed.