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A proposed bill that is drawing bipartisan support in the Pennsylvania Legislature would ban the misuse of artificial intelligence in political campaigns and establish fines for violations.
State Rep. Tarik Khan, a Philadelphia Democrat, and several colleagues, including one GOP member, issued a co-sponsorship memo for their bill on Dec. 21. So far, Khan said the bill has drawn support from nearly 30 Democrats and a handful of Republicans.
“This is technology that’s really exciting because it can help us create, communicate, think and adapt in new and exciting ways,” Khan said of artificial intelligence, or AI.
Khan told PennLive that he uses AI-generated content to help him wade through the sea of information and news he consumes daily, but the fraudulent use of the technology in campaigns could dupe voters and sway elections.
AI has been used to do that already, noted Khan, who pointed to a controversy last year in which the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign released an AI-generated video purportedly showing former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, famous for clashing with Trump over the covid-19 pandemic response, according to CNN.
A pro-DeSantis super PAC also used an AI-generated Trump voice in a TV ad last summer in Iowa to verbalize a social media post that targeted the state’s GOP governor, Politico reported.
Those are just a few early examples where AI has been misused, Khan said.
“It can help us to think and create and communicate in novel and exciting ways that are important, but when it’s misused, like anything, it can be incredibly harmful and deceptive so there have to be guardrails,” Khan said. “It’s a new frontier and the regulations have not evolved.”
Last month, 10th Congressional District Democratic candidate Shamaine Daniels’ campaign announced that it was incorporating Ashley, an AI-generated interactive robocaller, into its voter outreach efforts.
Ashley can have an “infinite number” of simultaneous and unique conversations with voters, reported Reuters.
That kind of usage does not concern Khan. “From what I understand, it sounds like a fair use of AI,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
Other states are addressing the misuse of AI in different ways. According to BloombergLaw.com, Florida is considering a bill to ban so-called AI deepfakes, much as Washington state has done.
Bloomberg reported that California, Michigan, Texas and Minnesota have laws about AI deepfakes but they only cover 30 to 90 days before an election.
The proposed Pennsylvania bill would implement civil penalties, including a sliding scale based on whether a violation occurs in a local, state or federal election.
“This bill is going to create those essential protections to keep our elections safe, accurate and free from misinformation,” Khan said. “Currently, it’s the wild, wild west in terms of what exists now. There really aren’t those guardrails.”
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