Cate Blanchett Launches RSL Media to Protect Artists From Unauthorized AI Use

Cate Blanchett has co-founded a new non-profit company called RSL Media, aimed at giving people more control over how artificial intelligence systems use their creative work, identity, and likeness.

The initiative introduces the RSL Human Consent Standard, a free public registry launching in June. The system will allow individuals to clearly state whether AI companies are allowed to use their work, image, voice, or personal identity — and under what conditions.

Supporters of the project include actors and filmmakers such as Javier Bardem, George Clooney, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks, Helen Mirren, Steven Soderbergh, Kristen Stewart, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson. Creative Artists Agency and the Music Artists Coalition are also backing the effort.

RSL Media says the project was created because AI systems are increasingly using human-created content and likenesses without permission. The company aims to create a machine-readable consent framework that AI developers can recognize and follow.

Blanchett said AI technologies are growing rapidly with little regulation and stressed that consent should come first.

“RSL Media is a simple, effective and free solutions-based technology for facilitating and activating consent,” Blanchett said. “It’s also the industry’s first practical solution where people everywhere, not just public figures, can assert control over how their work is used by AI.”

RSL Media co-founder and CEO Nikki Hexum said the current digital environment makes human consent almost invisible to AI systems.

“The right to decide whether AI can use your work or identity should not be reserved for only those who can afford lawyers or have platforms big enough to be heard,” Hexum said. “It is a basic human right.”

Under the system, users will be able to choose whether AI use of their work is allowed, allowed under certain terms, or prohibited. The company compares the framework to a traffic light system designed to simplify consent rules for AI developers and rights holders.

Blanchett has previously spoken out against the misuse of copyrighted work by AI companies. Earlier this year, she joined more than 700 artists and creators, including Scarlett Johansson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in an anti-AI campaign criticizing tech companies for using copyrighted material without permission.

Several supporters of RSL Media also issued statements backing the project.

Emma Thompson said AI is currently “stealing from us all” and called the initiative “urgent and essential.”

Director Steven Soderbergh described the system as “simple, transparent, and resistant to manipulation,” adding that widespread adoption would benefit everyone involved.

Helen Mirren said there is a clear difference between artistic inspiration and imitation, calling unauthorized copying by AI systems “crass theft.”

People can already reserve a consent ID through RSL Media. The public registry will officially launch in June, when users will be able to verify their identity and set permissions for how AI systems may use their creative work and likeness.