A proposed law to regulate generative AI in performing, audiovisual, and musical arts is currently in public consultation, not yet before parliament. The Ministry of Labor and Social Economy opened the consultation on July 31, 2026, with a deadline of August 14, 2026, for submissions from unions, employers, artists' associations, and citizens.
The draft organic law addresses the use of generative AI within the special labor relationship of artists. It builds on Royal Decree 607/2026, which already redefined that relationship and addressed digitalization. This new layer of regulation, focused specifically on generative AI, covers topics likely to include consent, economic compensation, and transparency in the use of voice and image.
This sector-specific legislation sits alongside a broader government bill on AI governance already in the amendment phase in Congress, adapting the European AI Regulation.
Current status and what happens next
The Ministry of Labor and Social Economy identifies the draft as being in the "Prior Public Consultation" phase. After the August 14 deadline, the ministry will analyze submissions, redraft the text, obtain required reports from the Ministry of Culture and advisory bodies, and submit the final version to the Council of Ministers. Only after cabinet approval will the bill be formally sent to Congress.
The parliamentary route ahead
Once introduced in the General Courts, the bill will follow the standard organic law path: registration and qualification in Congress, an amendment period, committee and subcommittee work, a plenary debate and vote requiring an absolute majority, referral to the Senate (with potential amendments or veto), final approval, royal sanction, and publication in the BOE. The entire timeline depends on the government's speed in closing the pre-legislative phase.
Why this matters for legal professionals
Legal teams advising performing arts companies, producers, and individual artists will need to track how the consultation's final text defines ownership and consent for AI-generated derivative works from human performances. The interplay between this organic law and the existing Royal Decree 607/2026 creates two overlapping regulatory frameworks - a drafting scenario likely to generate interpretive disputes in labor contracts and collective bargaining agreements. Clients in the sector should prepare for a compliance timeline that may extend well into 2027.
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