Effort to regulate ‘deepfake’ political ads moves forward

The Federal Election Commission on Thursday voted to advance a nonpartisan advocacy group’s request for rules governing so-called deepfake political ads generated by artificial intelligence. The commission will seek public comment starting next week and running for 60 days. After that, it will determine whether to take up a final rule. Public Citizen, which petitioned for the new rule, said the need to regulate deepfakes has become urgent in advance of the 2024 election. “Deepfakes pose a significant threat to democracy as we know it,” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen.