U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Ro Khanna, both California Democrats, have reintroduced legislation to ban the deceptive use of artificial intelligence in federal election campaigns. The "AI Ads Act" seeks to prohibit the fraudulent use of AI to impersonate political candidates or committees, amid a rise in sophisticated AI-generated election content.
The push follows recent instances of AI-driven campaign ads, including those by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton targeting Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats, and viral videos created for former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.
Schiff, who previously introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, stated that the issue transcends party lines, even though Republicans have recently utilized AI-generated videos more prominently. "AI-generated fraudulent advertising which uses the likeness or voices of candidates to misrepresent their positions, campaigns, or causes, or otherwise misrepresents a candidate’s point of view is not only wrong — it poses a serious threat to our democracy that should concern all Americans regardless of their party," Schiff said.
The proposed bill would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act to explicitly forbid fraudulent misrepresentation through content generated wholly or partly by AI. It would also expand existing federal prohibitions to cover individuals falsely claiming to represent a candidate or political organization, and remove the requirement that a misrepresentation be proven "damaging" before enforcement.
Khanna emphasized that AI should not be employed to "mislead voters or undermine our democracy." Unlike some "deepfake" concerns, the advertisements by Hilton and Pratt utilized stylized animation rather than hyper-realistic fabricated footage intended to appear authentic. The AI Ads Act specifically targets AI-generated content used to deceive voters or solicit campaign donations under false pretenses, rather than imposing a complete ban on all AI-generated political advertising.
The legislation has garnered support from organizations such as Common Cause, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Campaign Legal Center, Protect Democracy, and Public Citizen. While over 30 states have enacted laws addressing deceptive AI-generated election content, federal standards for nationwide campaigns remain unestablished.
The bill's prospects in a divided Congress are uncertain, as lawmakers have struggled to reach consensus on broader AI regulations despite bipartisan acknowledgment of the technology's growing influence in elections.