The US has begun a process to potentially regulate AI-generated deepfakes in political ads ahead of the 2024 election, a move advocates say would safeguard voters against a particularly insidious form of election disinformation.
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The Federal Election Commission's unanimous procedural vote on Thursday advances a petition asking it to regulate ads that use artificial intelligence to misrepresent political opponents as saying or doing something they didn't - a stark issue that is already being highlighted in the current 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Though the circulation of convincing fake images, videos or audio clips is not new, innovative generative AI tools are making them cheaper, easier to use, and more likely to manipulate public perception.
As a result, some presidential campaigns in the 2024 race - including that of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - already are using them to persuade voters.
The Republican National Committee in April released an entirely AI-generated ad meant to show the future of the United States if President Joe Biden is re-elected.
It employed fake but realistic, photos showing boarded up storefronts, armoured military patrols in the streets, and waves of immigrants creating panic.
In June, DeSantis' campaign shared an attack ad against his GOP primary opponent Donald Trump that used AI-generated images of the former president hugging infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci.
SOS America PAC, which supports Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican, also has experimented with generative AI, using a tool called VideoAsk to create an AI chatbot in his likeness.
Thursday's FEC meeting comes after the advocacy group Public Citizen asked the agency to clarify that an existing federal law against "fraudulent misrepresentation" in campaign communications applies to AI-generated deepfakes.
The panel's vote shows the agency's intent to consider the question, but it will not decide whether to actually develop rules governing the ads until after a 60-day public comment window, which is likely to begin next week.
In June, the FEC deadlocked on an earlier petition from the group, with some commissioners expressing skepticism that they had the authority to regulate AI ads.
Public Citizen came back with a new petition identifying the fraudulent misrepresentation law and explaining it thought the FEC did have jurisdiction.
Australian Associated Press
