Political ads made with generative AI must be labelled, FCC proposes
As the US Presidential elections draw closer, the battle is heating up, and with AI tools rising in popularity, it’s safe to assume they will be widely used in the upcoming campaigns.
With that in mind, the US Federal Communications Commission is considering whether AI-generated content in political ads on radio and TV should be labeled as such.
Earlier this week, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared a new agency proposal with her colleagues which, if adopted, would discuss this idea.
Securing the nation’s health
If adopted, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would seek comment on whether to require an on-air disclosure and written disclosure in broadcasters’ political files when there is AI-generated content in political ads; propose to apply the disclosure rules to both candidate and issue advertisements, request comment on a specific definition of AI-generated content, and propose to apply the disclosure requirements to broadcasters and entities that engage in origination programming, including cable operators, satellite TV and radio providers and section 325(c) permittees.
In other words, there would first have to be an air-tight definition of what AI-generated content is.
Two things are also worth mentioning here: 1) the FCC is not even considering banning AI-generated content from political ads, and 2) this only applies to radio and TV, and not internet-hosted content such as YouTube or streaming services.
“As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, the Commission wants to make sure consumers are fully informed when the technology is used,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “Today, I’ve shared with my colleagues a proposal that makes clear consumers have a right to know when AI tools are being used in the political ads they see, and I hope they swiftly act on this issue.”
AI-generated content, especially deepfakes and voice cloning, can be extremely poptent tools in the wrong hands, and can be used to spread misinformation and fear, and cause division among the voters.
