Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require political groups to disclose the use of artificial intelligence-generated material in campaign ads.
The Require the Exposure of AI–Led (REAL) Political Advertisements Act expands on the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 by requiring groups to include a statement if AI was used to create images or videos in ads.
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“The upcoming 2024 election cycle will be the first time in U.S. history where AI generated content will be used in political ads by campaigns, parties, and Super PACs," Clarke said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, our current laws have not kept pace with the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies. If AI-generated content can manipulate and deceive people on a large scale, it can have devastating consequences for our national security and election security. It’s time we sound the alarm and work to ensure our campaign finance laws keep pace with the innovation of new technologies.”
The catalyst for the legislation appears to be an AI-generated ad from the Republican National Committee attacking a possible second term for President Joe Biden last month. The "Beat Biden" ad, released after Biden announced his reelection campaign, includes AI images of Taiwan being attacked and the southern border being overwhelmed. In the upper left side of the ad, the RNC noted it was "Built entirely with AI imagery.”
“There will be those who will not want to disclose that it’s AI-generated, and we want to protect against that, particularly when we look at the political season before us,” Clarke told the Washington Post in an interview.
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The use of AI has led to criticism and concern among lawmakers and technology experts across the U.S. Recently, a pioneer in AI, engineer Geoffrey Hinton, quit Google and criticized the dangers that AI and OpenAI's ChatGPT pose for society, including the spread of disinformation. Last week, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) also introduced legislation to create a task force that investigates AI policies and their impact on civil liberties.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) previously announced he is working on legislation with experts that would regulate AI in a manner acceptable to both Republicans and Democrats.