Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek comment on whether the agency should require disclosure when there is AI-generated content in TV and radio political ads. This proposal would require on-air and written disclosure when there is AI-generated content in political ads, including both candidate and issue advertising, and apply to broadcasters and entities that engage in origination programming, including cable, satellite TV, and radio providers. Public Knowledge commends the agency for moving to protect Americans from potentially deceptive political advertising.
The following can be attributed to Nicholas Garcia, Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“It is encouraging to see Chairwoman Rosenworcel taking this first step towards rules that will protect our democracy and public dialogue. TV and radio are essential channels of communication and political discourse, and ensuring that Americans are well-informed and protected from deception and disinformation is critically important – especially as we head towards elections later this year. Disclosures and watermarks are not a silver bullet for disinformation, but applying them to political advertising on these critical communications channels protects a vital public interest and is a commonsense step for preventing deceptive political advertisements.
“This action is also a reminder of why expert agencies like the FCC are so important when it comes to regulating technology. Technology changes rapidly, and just a week ago, we saw bills on this same issue struggle to pass in committee in Congress. While legislators struggle with the pace of change, our regulators like the FCC are moving swiftly to gather information from stakeholders and propose new rules that will provide the protections we need for this moment. Unfortunately, the FCC’s authority does not extend to digital platforms or to AI more generally, which is why we urgently need Congress to create a digital regulator that can provide durable, flexible, expert oversight over the digital landscape – rather than try to legislate each issue individually.
“We hope to see bipartisan support for the rulemaking from the Commissioners, and look forward to the opportunity to comment in the public proceeding.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.