Big Tech companies have moved to stifle the use of artificial intelligence in political advertising months before Congress gets a chance to set the rules.

Meta and Microsoft announced initiatives on Wednesday to provide rules and tools for reining in political ads containing AI-generated images. The announcements coincide with both companies having executives appear at an AI Insight Forum organized in the Capitol by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The proposals are the first steps for technology companies to brace for the use of false images and misinformation in political campaigns next year.

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Here's what Big Tech is doing so far.

Meta

The owner of Facebook and Instagram announced on Wednesday that it would start requiring advertisers running issue or political ads on its platforms to disclose if they contain AI-generated images, beginning in 2024. The rules are intended to rein in deepfakes.

The guidelines state that these rules do not apply to standard image edits, such as sharpening or cropping. "Advertisers running these ads do not need to disclose when content is digitally created or altered in ways that are inconsequential or immaterial to the claim, assertion, or issue raised in the ad," Nick Clegg, president of global affairs, said in a press release.

Meta also said its AI-generative tools, which were announced last month as a way to generate multiple versions of creative assets, are off-limits to political ads.

Microsoft

The developer of Bing and Windows announced on Wednesday that it was launching software that would allow political campaigns to authenticate videos and watermark credentials. This tool would allow the campaign to create a permanent record of an image and video while also making it possible for people to see if an image was modified without the campaign's approval.

This tool is intended to combat the creation of deepfakes of politicians such as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

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Google

The search engine told advertisers in September that it would implement a policy update in mid-November that would require election-focused advertisements to have explicit statements addressing whether they contain AI-generated imagery.

The policy update "will help further support responsible political advertising and provide voters with the information they need to make informed decisions," Google spokesman Michael Aciman said.