FKA twigs reveals she developed her own deepfake as she delivers passionate letter on AI to US senate

Actor and musician says AI can be used as a creative and commercial tool but warns that, without regulation, it threatens to exploit creators without their consent

British musician FKA twigs submitted an impassioned letter advocating for the regulation of AI (artificial intelligence), as she revealed that she is developing her own deepfake.

The letter came as the Cellophane artist, 36, prepared to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property on Tuesday (30 April), alongside Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl, in Washington, DC.

In it, she advocates for AI as a creative and commercial tool, provided that artists consent and are able to retain control over their representations: “My art is the canvas on which I paint my identity and the sustaining foundation of my livelihood,” twigs, real name Tahliah Barnett, wrote.

“It is the essence of my being. Yet this is under threat. AI cannot replicate the depth of my life journey, yet those who control it hold the power to mimic the likeness of my art, to replicate it and falsely claim my identity and intellectual property.

“This prospect threatens to rewrite and unravel the fabric of my very existence. We must enact regulation now to safeguard our authenticity and protect against misappropriation of our inalienable rights.”

Twigs revealed that her deepfake has been in development for around a year and is “not only trained in [her] personality” but can also use her “exact tone of voice to speak many languages.”

FKA twigs arrives for congressional testimony at the NO FAKES Act, at Dirksen Senate Office Building on 30 April 2024, Washington DC (Getty Images for RIAA)

She explained that she would engage her AI twigs later this year to “extend my reach and handle my online social media interactions, while I continue to focus on my art from the comfort and solace of my studio”.

Twigs went on to emphasise how “exciting” she believes AI is for a “future-facing artist” such as herself, citing it and similar technologies as “highly valuable tools both artistically and commercially when under the control of the artist”.

“What is not acceptable is when my art and my identity can simply be taken by a third party and exploited falsely for their own gain without my consent due to the absence of appropriate legislative control,” she said.

“History has shown us time again that in moments of great technological advancement, those in the arts have always been the first to have their work exploited and, in many instances, fraudulently commoditised.”

Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl and singer/actor FKA twigs attend congressional testimony for the NO FAKES Act in Washington, DC (Getty Images for RIAA)

Twigs said she was testifying on behalf of “all creators whose careers depend on their ability to create, safe in the knowledge that they can maintain tight control over their own art, image, voice and identity”.

Formerly a backup dancer in music videos by artists such as Kylie Minogue, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran, twigs rose to fame upon the release of her debut EP1 in 2012, receiving a nomination for that year’s Mercury Prize.

She is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most pioneering contemporary musicians; her second album, Magdalene, came out in 2019, with her mixtape Caprisongs released in 2022.

Twigs is also an actor, and will next appear in the forthcoming remake of 1994 movie The Crow opposite Bill Skarsgard, due for release in cinemas on 7 June.