“There will be those who will not want to disclose that it’s AI-generated.”
2024 CAImpaign
Legislators are seeking to regulate AI-generated political advertisements ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
As The Washington Post reports, representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY) has authored a bill that would require political parties to disclose if they used AI-generated content in their ads.
“Our current laws don’t begin to scratch the surface with respect to protecting the American people from what the rapid deployment of AI can mean in disrupting society,” Clarke told WaPo, adding that her legislation is part of a collective effort to “get the Congress going on addressing many of the challenges that we’re facing with AI.”
Then there were the many AI-generated images of former president — and current presidential candidate — Donald Trump getting arrested or praying.
In short, synthetic content is already making a big splash in the 2024 presidential race.
Although Clarke’s bill wouldn’t protect against all kinds of citizen-generated AI disinformation, attempting to get ahead of synthetic content now is likely a wise move.
“I think there are really important uses of AI,” Clarke told WaPo, “but there have to be some rules to the road, so that the American people are not deceived or put into harm’s way.”
Trudging Forward
That said, it’s certainly worth noting that the RNC did feature a small AI disclosure in its ad that read: “Built entirely with AI imagery.”
But as Clarke told the WaPo, there’s no guarantee that everyone putting out political ads will follow the RNC’s lead without the risk of legal retribution.
“There will be those who will not want to disclose that it’s AI-generated,” Clarke continued, “and we want to protect against that, particularly when we look at the political season before us.”
READ MORE: Bill would require disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads [The Washington Post]
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