As the 2024 election cycle ramps up, at least 26 states have passed or are considering bills regulating the use of generative AI in election-related communications, a new analysis by Axios shows.
Why it matters: The review lays bare a messy patchwork of rules around the use of genAI in politics, as experts increasingly sound the alarm on the evolving technology's power to sway or disenfranchise voters.
- There have already been instances of generative AI being "used to confuse — and even suppress — voters," Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told Axios in an email.
- "I don't think genAI developers or platforms are taking the misuse potential serious enough," added Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Catch up quick: In January, a spate of fake robocalls in New Hampshire used an AI-generated impersonation of Biden's voice to urge Democrats not to vote in the state's primary.
- In another high-profile incident, last July a super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary used AI to imitate Trump's voice in an ad attacking him. The Trump campaign slammed the ad as a "desperate attempt" to "deceive the American public."
The big picture: There are few federal guardrails in place to regulate the use of AI — even President Biden's AI executive order is largely voluntary, with little enforcement power.
- Senators have introduced two bills to regulate genAI in election campaigns, but they've yet to pass — even as many Americans fear the technology will hurt elections.