WME and Vermillio Partner to Protect Clients from AI Misuse
The talent agency WME announced a partnership with the technology firm Vermillio on Tuesday to protect its clients from having their likenesses misused through AI technology. Vermillio’s platform, Trace ID, will insulate WME clients from thefts of their likeness and intellectual property by using AI to track images. The partnership will also explore ways to allow clients to monetize their likeness and image themselves. Protecting these assets was a major issue in last year’s actors strike, even after a deal with SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, was ratified, some performers remained dissatisfied with the AI protections. WME said its primary concern was protecting its clients. Vermillio will help protect and authenticate images of WME’s clients that appear online, allowing them to either be removed, or the clients could decide to ask for payment. Vermillio would get a share of that revenue. The partnership could also help compensate performers if studios wanted to use AI to have someone’s voice translate content into other languages. Dan Neely, the entrepreneur behind Vermillio, said: “With this authenticity, talent can provide fans the novel entertainment experiences they want while protecting and empowering themselves.”
