'Very deceptive:' Florida lawmakers look to limit use of AI in political ads

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Florida lawmakers are taking on artificial intelligence.

Specifically, they’re looking at how the developing technology could impact political races.

AI generated images of former President Donald Trump running from and struggling with law enforcement took the internet by storm last year.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

And not long after Governor Ron DeSantis joined the race for President, clips using an AI generated DeSantis voice and altered video began popping up on social media.

“It might be funny at first, some of the things we’ve seen, but as we get into election season and especially when it comes to close elections, really any election, when we have this technology and they’re using that to depict somebody who is saying things they never said or doing something that they’ve never done, that’s obviously very deceptive,” said State Senator Nick DiCeglie (R-St. Petersburg).

DiCeglie is sponsoring a bill this year that would require campaigns that use AI in advertisements to include a visible disclaimer informing viewers the tech was used.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

“It’ll give them an opportunity to understand that this might not be real then they can go and take their time and do the research,” said DiCeglie.

The bill cleared its first committee stop this week, with some opposition from Democratic lawmakers who questioned how the requirement would be enforced after an amendment was tagged on making violations a first degree misdemeanor.

“Who would be charged? I mean, that’s a very important part of this bill. If you’re making it a crime then is it the person who created the ad, is it the candidate?” said State Senator Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton).

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

UNF political science professor Sean Freeder said he’s not surprised lawmakers are beginning to look at AI regulations, especially in the elections space.

“I know that there’s gonna be at least one ad this year that comes through the internet, not through the broadcast airwaves, that’s gonna feature distorting AI-generated imagery or audio and we’re gonna be talking about the later this year,” said Freeder.

Florida lawmakers have also filed bills this year looking to provide avenues for individuals to sue if AI is used to defame them.

On the flip side, there’s also a bill that would create an AI Advisory Council tasked with looking into how the technology could be used by state government.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.