Bill > H846

This bill introduces new requirements for political advertisements that use synthetic media (content created by artificial intelligence or AI) to ensure transparency and disclosure. The legislation first defines key terms like "artificial intelligence" as computer systems capable of performing tasks normally requiring human intelligence, "generative artificial intelligence" as technology that can create content like text, audio, images, or videos by learning from large data sets, and "synthetic media" as audio or video content substantially produced by generative AI. For political advertisements containing synthetic media that are intended to influence voting for or against a candidate or ballot proposition, the bill mandates specific disclosure requirements: the ad must display "Contains content generated by AI" at the beginning and end, and include additional text throughout the synthetic media portions specifying whether the content is AI-generated video, audio, or both. Violations of these disclosure requirements can result in a fine of up to $1,000, though this penalty does not exempt individuals from other potential civil or criminal liabilities. The aim of the bill is to help voters recognize when political content has been artificially generated, promoting transparency in political communication.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H846