Key Takeaways
- Cate Blanchett co‑founded RSL Media, a non‑profit that creates a human‑consent framework for AI’s use of creative work, name, image, and likeness.
- The initiative is backed by high‑profile supporters including Javier Bardem, George Clooney, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks, Dame Helen Mirren, Steven Soderbergh, Kristen Stewart, Meryl Streep, Dame Emma Thompson, Creative Artists Agency, and the Music Artists Coalition.
- RSL Media will launch a free, public registry (the RSL Human Consent Standard) in June, allowing anyone to declare how AI may use their identity and creations.
- Consent choices operate like a traffic‑light system (allowed with terms or prohibited) and provide AI developers with a machine‑readable signal.
- Founders argue that consent must be the first consideration in AI development, framing it as a basic human right rather than a privilege for those with legal resources.
- The effort builds on Blanchett’s earlier involvement in a 700‑artist anti‑AI campaign and aims to give policymakers, responsible companies, and individuals a practical tool to enforce AI protections.
Cate Blanchett has taken a concrete step toward addressing one of the most pressing ethical dilemmas in artificial intelligence: the unauthorized use of people’s creative output, names, images, and likenesses by AI systems. Together with Nikki Hexum, she launched RSL Media, a non‑profit organization designed to put human consent at the forefront of AI development. The core idea is simple yet powerful—turn an individual’s permission into a signal that machines can read and respect, thereby preventing AI from exploiting personal expression without approval.
The initiative quickly garnered support from a broad coalition of industry heavyweights and cultural icons. Supporters include actors Javier Bardem, George Clooney, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks, Dame Helen Mirren, Kristen Stewart, Meryl Streep, and Dame Emma Thompson; directors Steven Soderbergh; and major industry entities such as Creative Artists Agency and the Music Artists Coalition. Their endorsements underscore a shared concern that AI’s rapid expansion is occurring without adequate safeguards for the individuals whose work fuels it.
At the heart of RSL Media’s offering is the RSL Human Consent Standard, a free, public registry slated to launch in June. Through this platform, anyone—whether a globally recognized star or an everyday creator—can reserve a consent ID and specify how AI may use their identity and creative works. Users can declare that certain uses are allowed under specific terms, prohibited altogether, or left undefined, effectively creating a traffic‑light style system (green for permitted, red for forbidden, yellow for conditional). This machine‑readable consent signal aims to solve the current fragmentation of rights management, giving AI developers a universal way to check whether a piece of content or likeness is cleared for use.
Blanchett articulated the urgency behind the project, noting that AI technologies are advancing “rampantly, essentially unchecked and unregulated.” She argued that for humans to stay ahead of these technologies, consent must be the first consideration, not an afterthought. RSL Media, she said, offers a “simple, effective and free solutions‑based technology” that enables people everywhere—not just those who can afford legal counsel or command massive platforms—to assert control over how their work is employed by AI.
Nikki Hexum, RSL Media’s co‑founder and CEO, reinforced this vision, emphasizing that “AI can’t respect rights it can’t see.” In the current digital landscape, human consent is often invisible to algorithms, leaving creators vulnerable to exploitation. Hexum contended that the right to decide whether AI can use one’s work or identity is a basic human right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy or famous. By making consent transparent and actionable, RSL Media hopes to empower individuals, guide responsible companies toward ethical practices, and provide policymakers with a concrete mechanism to enforce AI protections in the real world.
The initiative builds on Blanchett’s earlier advocacy; earlier this year she joined roughly 700 artists, writers, and creators—including Scarlett Joseph Gordon‑Levitt—in an anti‑AI campaign that called out tech companies for using copyrighted material without permission. RSL Media now offers a tangible follow‑up: a tool that transforms moral outrage into operational safeguards. Additional supporters have echoed this sentiment. Dame Emma Thompson warned that AI is presently “stealing from us all” and praised the initiative as “urgent, essential, and eminently doable.” Steven Soderbergh lauded RSL Media’s solution as “simple, transparent, and resistant to manipulation,” urging swift adoption. Dame Helen Mirren reflected on the artistic lineage, distinguishing between inspiration—an extension of imagination—and imitation, which she described as “crass theft” that blocks creativity.
As of today, interested parties can reserve a consent ID and become trusted partners in the registry. When the public launch arrives in June, users will be able to verify their identities, set granular permissions for their name, image, likeness, and creative output, and manage those preferences over time. RSL Media thus aims to shift the paradigm from unilateral AI appropriation to a consensual, transparent ecosystem where creators retain agency, developers gain clear guidance, and society can better balance innovation with respect for personal rights.