California governor signs laws to crack down on election deepfakes created by AI
SACRAMENTO, California — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed three bills into law on Tuesday to expand the use of artificial intelligence to create fake images or videos in political advertisements before the 2024 elections.
A new law, effective immediately, makes it illegal to create and publish deepfakes related to elections 120 days before Election Day and for 60 days afterward. It also allows courts to halt the distribution of the material and impose civil penalties.
“Ensuring the integrity of elections is essential to democracy, and it’s critical that we ensure AI isn’t used to undermine public trust through disinformation — especially in today’s tense political climate,” Newsom said in a statement. “These measures will help combat the harmful use of deepfakes in political ads and other content, one of several areas where the state is being proactive in advancing transparent and trustworthy AI.”
Major social media platforms must also remove misleading material under a law that will be the first in the nation to go into effect next year. Newsom also signed a bill that requires political campaigns to disclose whether they run ads with AI-altered material.
The governor signed the bills to loud applause during a conversation with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at an event hosted by the major software company during its annual conference in San Francisco.
The new laws cement California’s position as a leader in regulating AI in the U.S., particularly in the fight against deepfakes of elections. The state was the first in the U.S. to ban manipulated videos and photos related to the 2019 elections. Technology and AI measures proposed by California lawmakers have been used as blueprints for lawmakers across the country, industry experts said.
With AI increasing the threat of elections disinformation Around the world, lawmakers across the country have rushed to address the problem, amid concerns that the manipulated materials undermine public confidence in what they see and hear.
“With less than 50 days until the general election, there is an urgent need to protect against misleading, digitally altered content that could disrupt elections,” Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, author of the law banning deepfakes in elections, said in a statement. “California is taking a stand against the manipulative use of deepfake technology to mislead voters.”
Newsom’s decision followed his vow in july to tackle election deepfakes in response to a video posted by X owner Elon Musk featuring doctored images of Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
California’s new laws come on the same day that members of Congress federal legislation unveiled with the aim of stopping deepfakes of elections. The bill would Federal Electoral Commission the power to regulate the use of AI in elections in the same way it has regulated other political misrepresentations for decades. The FEC has began to consider such regulations after the ban AI Generated Robocalls intended to discourage voters in February.
Newsom has touted California as an early adopter and overseer of AI, saying the state could soon deploy generative AI tools to tackle highway congestion and provide tax advice, even as his government considers new rules against AI discrimination in hiring.
He also signed two other bills into law on Tuesday to Protecting Hollywood Artists against unauthorized AI use without their consent.