TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Even Florida’s governor is guilty of using fake AI-generated images in political ads. But he may soon sign legislation that puts guardrails in place. That’s because some say the bill lacks the power needed to truly solve the problem.
You may have received a fake robocall from a president who wasn’t actually answering the phone, or you may have seen an ad featuring words that were never actually uttered. Artificial intelligence is now part of the political process. Campaigns on the left and right, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are creating ads with fake audio, video, or images, including: Them A photo of the former president and Dr. Anthony Fauci hugging each other.
“It’s amazing how true some of this is,” said state Rep. Alex Rizzo (R-Hialeah).
Mr. Rizzo is introducing legislation to push back on what he believes is a misleading and even sinister trend. HB 919 would require political ads to feature AI-generated images, video, or audio that show things that didn’t actually happen. This must be stated in the disclaimer. Approvals must be of a certain size and length, and violators are subject to penalties. Civil fines and even first-degree misdemeanors.
The bill is on DeSantis’ desk, and he has until next Wednesday to act on it, which Rizzo expected to do.
“The governor is doing a great job of looking at everything and making sure we get to the right place again,” Rizzo said. “In fact, I’m confident it will be signed into law soon. And hopefully we’ll start seeing some of that next, starting with this election cycle.”
Despite the bill’s broad bipartisan support, there are concerns.
Some state lawmakers feel the policy lacks a clear path to implementation.
Alleged violations must first be filed with the Florida Board of Elections and target the person who paid for the advertisement. The commission would then hold a public hearing to decide next steps, which could be confusing and take a long time to complete.
“It’s probably going to be a logistical nightmare,” Rep. Ashley Gantt (D-Miami) said during a debate before the bill was approved in February. “It can be confusing. Confusion, I think so too.”
Still, most in Congress saw the change as at least a step in the right direction against AI fakes. Now it’s up to real Gov. Ron DeSantis to decide whether to adopt it.
We reached out to the governor’s communications team Thursday to see if there was an update on consideration of DeSantis’ bill. They said they had no “details to provide at this time.”
If signed by DeSantis, the bill would go into effect this July.
Bankruptcies force seniors out of nursing homes
More than 100 local seniors are scrambling to find new homes after a senior housing facility was declared bankrupt.
More than 100 people moved out of senior citizen facility due to bankruptcy
