New FCC AI Disclosure Rule Is a Desperately Needed Safeguard for Elections

July 25, 2024

New FCC AI Disclosure Rule Is a Desperately Needed Safeguard for Elections

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission today released a proposed rule requiring disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads on radio and TV.

Robert Weissman, Public Citizen co-president, released the following statement in response:

"Consumers have a right to know when AI tools are being used in the political ads they see on the airwaves. That's the common-sense foundation for the FCC's desperately needed proposed rules on AI broadcast transparency.

"We're barreling towards elections which may be distorted, or even decided, by political deepfakes. Yet this is an entirely avoidable dystopia, if regulators simply demand disclosures when AI is used in political communications, including in broadcast TV and radio ads.

"Today's action by the FCC is entirely commensurate with the agency's legal authority and traditional practice relating to broadcast political ads.

"Twenty states have passed laws requiring disclosure of political deepfakes. In every instance, the legislation has moved forward on a bipartisan basis, as officials of all political stripes recognize the threat that undisclosed AI poses to a functioning democracy.

"Anyone seeking to make this an ideological issue has lost their mooring. There's no political benefit to any party, cause, issue or candidate in nontransparent AI ads or deepfakes, no ideology or principle served by permitting deepfakes to go undisclosed. The only winner is chaos.

"Public Citizen applauds FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's leadership on the issue of AI transparency and looks forward to the finalization and implementation of the FCC's proposed rule as soon as possible."

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