Senate pursues action against AI deepfakes in election campaigns

Politicians often engage in hyperbole to make a point. But don’t doubt the alliterative precision of Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) when he warns about “a deluge of deception, disinformation and deepfakes … about to descend on the American public.” It’s a bipartisan threat that has generated bipartisan determination. Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chris Coons (D-DE), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Susan Collins (R-ME), are pushing legislation that would ban deceptive AI materials in political ads. The bill, introduced in September 2023, also would allow federal office seekers to ask US courts to order removal of bogus information and to award compensation to the candidates. But legislation doesn’t move swiftly, and the urgency is clear. Deepfakes with Trump and President Biden have already been used to fool the public. Furthermore, a March 2024 Government Accountability Office report warned that “trust in real media may be undermined by false claims that real media is a deepfake.” In other words, AI makes it easier for fake news to trump real news.