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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 18 september 2024
Congress is gridlocked. These members are convinced AI

legislation could break through

By DAN MERICA to misrepresent political op-
Associated Press ponents as saying or doing
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bi- something they didn’t.
partisan group of lawmak- The commission is expected
ers introduced legislation to further discuss the matter
Tuesday that would prohibit on Thursday.
political campaigns and The commission’s efforts
outside political groups from followed a request from
using artificial intelligence to Public Citizen, a progres-
misrepresent the views of sive consumer rights orga-
their rivals by pretending to nization, that the agency
be them. clarify whether a 1970s-era
The introduction of the bill law that bans “fraudulent
comes as Congress has misrepresentation” in cam-
failed to regulate the fast- paign communications also
evolving technology and applies to AI-generated
experts warn that it threat- deepfakes.
ens to overwhelm voters While the election commis-
with misinformation. Those sion has been criticized in
experts have expressed recent years for being in-
particular concern over the Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., during a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, on June 21, 2022. effective, it does have the
dangers posed by “deep- Associated Press ability to take action against
fakes,” AI-generated videos campaigns or groups that
and memes that can look we’re going to need to do, political advertising when it being asked to regulate ads violate these laws, often
lifelike and cause voters to though, to try to attack the took a procedural vote after that use artificial intelligence through fines. q
question what is real and avalanche of misinforma-
what is fake. tion and disinformation.”
Lawmakers said the bill Congress has been para-
would give the Federal Elec- lyzed on countless issues in
tion Commission the power recent years, and regulat-
to regulate the use of artifi- ing AI is no exception.
cial intelligence in elections “This is another illustration of
in the same way it has regu- congressional dysfunction,”
lated other political misrep- Schiff said.
resentation for decades. Schiff and Fitzpatrick are not
The FEC has started to con- alone in believing artificial
sider such regulations. intelligence legislation is
“Right now, the FEC does needed and can become
not have the teeth, the law.
regulatory authority, to pro- Rep. Madeleine Dean, a
tect the election,” said Rep. Pennsylvania Democrat,
Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsyl- and Rep. María Elvira Sala-
vania Republican who co- zar, a Florida Republican, in-
sponsored the legislation. troduced legislation earlier
Other sponsors include Rep. this month that aims to curb
Adam Schiff, a California the spread of unauthorized
Democrat; Rep. Derek Kilm- AI-generated deepfakes.
er, a Washington Democrat; A bipartisan group of sena-
and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, tors proposed companion
an Oregon Republican. legislation in the Senate.
Fitzpatrick and Schiff said Opposition to such legisla-
the odds were against the tion has primarily focused
bill passing this year. Never- on not stifling a burgeon-
theless, they said they don’t ing technology sector or
expect the measure to face making it easier for another
much opposition and could country to become the hub
be attached to a must-pass for the AI industry.
measure in the waning days Congress doesn’t “want
the congressional session. to put a rock on top of in-
Schiff described the bill as novation either and not al-
a modest first step in ad- low it to flourish under the
dressing the threat posed right circumstances,” Rep.
by deepfakes and other French Hill, an Arkansas Re-
false AI-generated content, publican, said in August at
arguing the legislation’s sim- a reception hosted by the
plicity was an asset. Center for AI Safety. “It’s a
“This is really probably the balancing act.”
lowest hanging fruit there is” The Federal Election Com-
in terms of addressing the mission in August took its
misuse of AI in politics, Schiff first step toward regulating
said. “There’s so much more AI-generated deepfakes in