ATLANTA – Legislation cracking down on the deceptive use of artificial intelligence in political campaigns cleared the Georgia House of Representatives Thursday.
As introduced in the state Senate, the bill focused on obscene AI-generated images of children. But the version of Senate Bill 9 the House passed 152-12 instead criminalizes using AI in audio or video productions in campaign ads leading up to elections that fail to include a disclaimer indicating the material is not real.
“It’s not deceptive if you put a label on it that it’s AI-generated,” said Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs, who carried the Senate bill in the House and has been a leader in legislative efforts to put some regulatory guardrails around emerging AI technology.
Under Senate Bill 9, false AI-generated images used in political campaigns would not be considered criminal unless they are disseminated with the knowledge that they are false and are published within 90 days of a primary or general election.
The bill also doesn’t apply to forms of constitutionally protected speech such as satire or parody.
Rep. Charlice Byrd, R-Woodstock, opposed the measure as a violation of the First Amendment’s free speech rights.
“Who decides what’s deceptive?” Byrd argued. “This isn’t freedom. It’s Soviet-style control.”
But Rep. Todd Jones, R-South Forsyth, chairman of the House Committee on Technology & Infrastructure Innovation, said the bill strikes a blow for election integrity.
“The most important thing we can do for our constituents is ensure when they go into that (ballot) box … we have given them accurate information,” he said.
Rep. Long Tran, D-Dunwoody, said it’s particularly important to prevent the dissemination of false AI-generated images during the runup to elections.
“We are in an arms race in election season,” he said. “Those with the best technology can generate AI with the most realistic renderings.”
A first violation of the legislation is a misdemeanor, while the measure treats the second and subsequent violations as felonies.
The bill now moves back to the Senate to decide whether to accept the House version of the legislation.