Michigan and 29 States Require Disclaimers for AI Election Content

Michigan is among 30 states that have enacted regulations requiring disclaimers for artificial intelligence generated election materials. The legislation, co-sponsored by Republican state Representative Matthew Bierlein and Democratic state Representative Penelope Tsernoglou, aims to prevent deceptive content from influencing voters. The policy group Public Citizen assisted in drafting these laws to avoid an election-swinging nightmare scenario.

The push for regulation follows a rise in AI use for political satire and campaign ads, such as a viral Los Angeles mayoral race ad featuring Spencer Pratt portrayed as Batman. While lawmakers argue these laws provide necessary guardrails, critics suggest they are insufficient. Public Citizen warns that the prevalence of AI creates cover for bad actors to dismiss genuine evidence of wrongdoing as fake.

Other critics, including the Director of the Center on Technology Policy at New York University, argue that AI-specific laws may be ineffective because voters often ignore disclaimer labels. They advocate for technology-neutral policies that focus on the act of deception itself, regardless of whether the content was created using AI, Photoshop, or a human actor.