Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Senate Passage Of DEFIANCE Act To Combat The Spread Of Sexually Explicit Deepfakes

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today praised the Senate’s successful passage of the DEFIANCE Act, a key piece of legislation aimed at addressing the issue of nonconsensual deepfakes. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:

I have some good news for the Senate. Before we adjourn this evening, I would like to celebrate two significant bills that just passed the Senate moments ago.

First, just now, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to combat the spread of sexually explicit AI-generated “deepfakes,” the DEFIANCE Act. I commend Senator Durbin for his excellent work on this bill. I was proud to support it every step of the way, and it is a very, very important thing that we got this bill done.

As we know, AI plays a bigger role in our lives than ever before, and while it has many benefits, it’s also easier than ever to create sexually explicit deep fakes without a person’s consent. It is a horrible attack on someone’s privacy and dignity to have these fake images of them circulating online without recourse.

And this isn’t just some fringe issue that happens to only a few people—it’s a widespread problem. These types of malicious and hurtful pictures can destroy lives. Nobody is immune, not even celebrities like Taylor Swift or Megan Thee Stallion. It’s a grotesque practice and victims of these deep fakes deserve justice. And this is one of the examples of the AI guardrails I often talk about. AI is a remarkable technology that can spur incredible innovation, but we must pass guardrails to prevent its worst abuses from causing people grave harm.

By passing this bill, we are telling victims of explicit nonconsensual deepfakes that we hear them and we are taking action. 

I urge the House now to take up this piece of legislation, so victims of nonconsensual deepfakes can have the justice they deserve. It’s just awful what people do to people with these deepfakes. This bill will end that, it’s a very good thing.

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