New AI laws to crack down on election deepfakes in the US

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several groundbreaking laws aimed at regulating the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, positioning the state as a leader in AI oversight.

Among the new legislation announced Tuesday,  are three laws focused on curbing AI deepfakes that could influence elections in the US, and two others protecting actors from unauthorized AI clones of their likeness or voice.

The law AB 2655 requires major platforms like Facebook and X to remove or label AI-generated election-related deepfakes.

Additionally, AB 2355 mandates the disclosure of AI-generated political advertisements.

These measures are part of a broader national conversation, as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is also considering similar regulations.

Two other laws—AB 2602 and AB 1836—specifically target the media industry, requiring studios to seek permission before using AI replicas of actors, living or deceased. These laws were backed by the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Newsom is also reviewing SB 1047, a contentious AI bill that some argue could stifle the open-source AI community. He has two weeks to sign or veto the measure.