By Bob Katzen

The House 157-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would require that any synthetic media audio or video communication intended to influence voting for or against a candidate or ballot proposition, must disclose at the beginning and end of the communication that it contains AI-generated materials. Violators would be fined up to $1,000.

“If you watched the Super Bowl, you saw how widespread artificial intelligence has become,” said Rep. Daniel Hunt (D-Dorchester), House Chair of the Committee on Election Laws. “AI is no longer theoretical – it is in our everyday lives. At the same time, the conversation around election security, which has been front and center for the last several years, feels more turbulent and under siege. Voters deserve to know that what they’re seeing is real. That’s why the Legislature continues to strengthen our election infrastructure, and why we’re focused today on setting clear standards for the use of AI in election materials so we can guard against deceptive or misleading content.”

“The use of AI-generated deepfakes for the purposes of manipulating voters and disrupting elections is an attack on democracy,” said Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield), House Chair of the Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity. “As technology advances at a rapid pace, voters should not have to wade through maliciously altered or AI-generated content to get the facts about an election. The House is taking reasonable and timely steps to mitigate any possible negative outcomes and preserve election integrity.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)

Rep. Christine Barber Yes Rep. Mike Connolly Yes Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven Yes