Pennsylvania Has No Law Barring AI-Faked Candidates in Campaign Ads; Gubernatorial Challenger Garrity Used an AI Version of Shapiro, WESA Reported October 29
Pennsylvania currently has no law prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence to fake candidates in campaign ads, nor even requiring a disclosure, a legal gap drawing attention less than a week before the midterm elections. According to an October 29 report by 90.5 WESA, Republican gubernatorial challenger Stacy Garrity recently released a campaign ad featuring an AI-generated image of her opponent, incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro.
There is no watermark or on-screen text telling viewers the video was made with AI, and the AI Shapiro in the ad does not disclose that he is not the real Shapiro until about 45 seconds in. The report noted that Pennsylvania currently has no law banning deepfake technology in campaign ads and does not require disclosure.
In May, state Senator Lisa Boscola issued a memorandum saying she planned to introduce legislation prohibiting the use of AI-generated or AI-altered video, audio or images of candidates in the 90 days before an election, but the bill has not yet been formally introduced. Last year, the state House passed a separate bill regulating campaign-ad deepfakes. As AI tools become ever easier to obtain, the authenticity of election advertising has become a new issue facing Pennsylvania voters and lawmakers alike.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 宾夕法尼亚州州长乔什·夏皮罗 / Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Photo: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
