AI Likeness Protection for Creators: Contracts, Brand Deals and Platform Terms

Royall publishes this guide. Descriptions of other companies come from their own public pages, accessed October 4, 2026.

Quick answer

For working creators, most AI likeness risk comes from paperwork you sign, not from strangers. Brand deals, UGC licenses, management contracts and app terms can quietly grant rights to make AI versions of your face or voice, often "in perpetuity" and "in all media". Look for those phrases, ask for a specific list of uses, a time limit and separate consent for AI training, and keep a signed copy. In California, New York and Illinois, a vague digital replica clause signed without a lawyer or union can be unenforceable.

If a fake of you is up right now

1. Save evidence first. Copy the URL, account name, date and time, and take screenshots or a screen recording.
2. Report it to the platform using its impersonation, privacy or altered-media form.
3. Intimate image, real or AI-made? Covered platforms must remove it within 48 hours of a valid request under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. If a platform fails to act, report it to the FTC at takeitdown.ftc.gov. Our TAKE IT DOWN Act explainer explains what a valid request needs.
4. If you were under 18 in the image, use NCMEC's Take It Down.
5. If you're an adult, StopNCII.org creates a hash (digital fingerprint) on your device so participating platforms can detect and block the image.
6. If you're threatened or in danger, contact local police (911 in the US).
7. Questions for Royall: royall.ai/help or support@royall.ai.

Which phrases in a brand deal can give away AI rights?

Phrase	Why it matters	What to ask for instead
"in all media now known or hereafter devised"	Can cover AI formats that don't exist yet. Explainer	The specific channels in the campaign
"in perpetuity" / "irrevocable"	No end date and no way back	A fixed term, such as 12 months, with renewal by agreement
"digital replica", "simulation", "synthetic", "AI-generated version"	Direct permission to generate new media of you	Strike it, or limit it to named deliverables you approve
"name, image, likeness and voice"	Broad identity grant, often wider than the deliverables	Tie it to the specific content you deliver
"to improve our products and services"	Can be read to allow AI training. Explainer	"No training or fine-tuning of any AI model without separate written consent"
"sublicense", "assigns", "affiliates"	Your likeness can move to companies you never met	Named parties only, no sublicensing without approval
"derivative works"	Edits and remixes, possibly AI ones	Derivatives only with your approval

Our guide to negotiating AI clauses has more examples.

What should a creator ask for in any deal that involves AI?

Raise these points before you sign. A lawyer can turn them into contract language.

1. A written list of uses. Which campaign, which channels, which formats.
2. A time limit and territory.
3. Separate consent for training. Training a model on you is not the same as using your footage in an ad.
4. Approval rights over any AI-generated or altered version of you before it's published.
5. Pay for replica uses, not just the shoot day.
6. Deletion at the end. What happens to raw footage, voice samples and any model trained on you.
7. No sublicensing without your written approval.
8. A signed copy for you. Store it in your protection folder.

Can a vague digital replica clause be unenforceable?

In some states, yes. Three laws follow a similar pattern. A digital replica clause in a contract for your services can be unenforceable if all of these are true: it lets a replica do work you would otherwise have done in person, it doesn't reasonably specifically describe the intended uses, and you weren't represented by a lawyer or a union as the law describes.

• California, Labor Code §927 (AB 2602). Effective January 1, 2025, for new replica performances fixed on or after that date. An agent alone is not listed as qualifying representation. Labor Code §927 · Tracker
• New York, General Obligations Law §5-302. Effective January 1, 2025, for contracts entered into or modified on or after that date. GOL §5-302 · Tracker
• Illinois, Digital Voice and Likeness Protection Act (815 ILCS 550). Effective August 9, 2024, amended effective January 1, 2026. 815 ILCS 550/10 · Tracker

From January 1, 2027, California's SB 1111 (signed September 30, 2026, Chapter 862) also confirms that an AI replica of your voice or likeness used in ads or on products without consent falls under the state's right of publicity statute. Bill history · Tracker

These laws don't replace reading the contract. The safer move is not signing a vague clause in the first place.

Do I have SAG-AFTRA protections as a creator?

Only for work under a SAG-AFTRA contract with a signatory producer. Under the 2025 Commercials Contracts, producers use a Digital Replica Rider where you consent separately to creating a replica and to each listed use. The 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement (in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030) tightens consent rules for replicas. Non-union brand deals rely on your own contract and state law. Tracker: SAG-AFTRA AI terms

Do platforms train AI on my videos?

Check each platform's settings and terms. Two examples:

• YouTube has a setting that lets creators allow third-party companies to train AI models on their channel content. YouTube says it is off by default. YouTube Help
• Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta) lets you embed a preference in your files asking generative AI not to train on or use them; Adobe says Firefly currently honors it. Adobe Help

Editing apps, face filters and AI avatar tools have their own terms. Look for training, biometric and license clauses before you upload your face. See face filters and biometric consent.

Where Royall fits

Royall gives creators a signed consent record and a list of the uses they allow, kept with recordings they made themselves. Brands and apps that integrate Royall Herald can check that list before generating anything with your likeness, so your "yes" and "no" travel further than one contract. It doesn't replace your contracts: Royall does not negotiate deals for you. Since this guide tells you to check platforms' training terms, here are Royall's.

How Royall handles your data What Royall's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy say today (both effective September 15, 2026):

• Royall's own models. Royall may use your likeness to train Royall-operated AI models to improve its services, for example its likeness detection (Terms §1.4).
• Licensing to partners. Royall may offer you opportunities to license your recordings to Royall partners, including for AI training, under separate terms and with your consent (Terms §1.2 and §1.5; Privacy Policy). Those licenses must bar the partner from using your likeness to train models for deepfake generation, sexual content, harassment, infringement or any illegal purpose (Terms §1.5).
• Revoking consent stops future licenses. It cannot pull your likeness out of data sets already shared with third parties under earlier licenses (Terms §1.3; Privacy Policy).
• Retention. Biometric data is kept as long as needed to provide the services you request, or up to three years after your last interaction, unless you revoke consent (Privacy Policy).
• Access and deletion. Ask at privacy@royall.ai (Privacy Policy).
• Apps that check permission through Herald or Connect get a yes or no answer. Royall says partners using Connect do not receive your recordings (royall.ai).

Key takeaways

• The riskiest AI clauses hide in ordinary brand and app paperwork.
• Ask for specific uses, a time limit, separate training consent and approval rights.
• California, New York and Illinois can void vague replica clauses signed without a lawyer or union.
• Check each platform's AI training settings.
• Keep a signed copy of everything.

FAQ

Can a brand make an AI version of me after our campaign ends? Only if your contract allows it, and some state laws limit vague replica clauses. Read the term, media and "digital replica" language closely.

Is my agent enough to count as representation under California's AB 2602? The statute refers to a lawyer who negotiated your replica rights or a union agreement that addresses digital replicas. An agent alone is not listed.

Does YouTube let AI companies train on my videos? YouTube says third-party training is off unless you turn it on in YouTube Studio settings.

Do small creators need any of this? Yes. UGC and affiliate deals often use the same broad clauses as big campaigns.

Sources

• California Labor Code §927
• New York General Obligations Law §5-302
• 815 ILCS 550/10
• California SB 1111 bill history
• SAG-AFTRA 2025 Commercials Contracts
• YouTube Help: Allow third-party training
• Adobe Help: generative AI training and usage preference

Related guides

• How to license your face or voice to AI companies
• How to protect your face and voice from AI
• How talent agencies can protect artists from AI cloning

This is general information, not legal advice.

---