North Dakota House Debates AI Regulations for Political Ads and Deepfakes
The North Dakota Legislature is considering bills to regulate AI in political ads and address deepfake concerns
North Dakota, AI, Political Ads, Deepfakes, Legislation
Fargo: The North Dakota House is diving into some serious discussions about AI in political ads. They held a hearing recently where they talked about a bill that would require a clear disclaimer on any political content made with AI. The idea is to let folks know when they’re looking at something generated by artificial intelligence.
Rep. Jonathan Warrey, who’s pushing the bill, thinks this is just the beginning. He believes AI will play a bigger role in politics down the line. He mentioned that other states are already taking steps to protect people from misleading AI content.
During the hearing, Sandy McMerty, the deputy secretary of state, backed the bill. She pointed out that while AI can help create graphics and write newsletters, it’s crucial for the public to know when AI is involved in political messaging. It’s kind of like how ads have to say who paid for them.
On the flip side, Terry Effertz from TechND argued that the bill might be overreaching. She feels it’s more of a reaction to fears rather than addressing real issues. Effertz also warned about “disclosure overload,” where too many disclaimers could confuse people.
They also discussed another bill aimed at tackling deepfakes. This one would make it illegal to create or share deepfake content without the person’s consent. Rep. Josh Christy, who’s behind this bill, said deepfakes are a growing problem, making it hard to tell what’s real and what’s not.
Christy wants to protect people from having their likeness used without permission, and he’s not just focusing on political uses. He’s planning to show a video at the next hearing to illustrate his point, hoping to spark some good conversation about where the lines should be drawn.
For now, the committee hasn’t made any decisions on the AI disclosure bill, but they’re open to written feedback until Monday morning. It’s definitely a hot topic that’s going to keep evolving!