Pennsylvania governor signs law requiring labels on AI-generated ads

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro has signed the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act into law, requiring advertisements significantly modified or generated by artificial intelligence to carry a disclosure in the same format as the ad, The Verge reported (The Verge).

The law covers still images, video, audio and text, and applies to ads made anywhere that are expected to air in Pennsylvania, so commercials produced in other states may need labels if they also run there. It targets synthetic content used in a way that creates a false consumer perception about a product or service, rather than every use of AI in advertising.

Pennsylvania is among the first US states to require such disclosures, and the law leaves key terms open to interpretation: it does not define what counts as “significantly modified” or “evidently fictional”, and it is unclear who decides what qualifies as a false perception. Exceptions cover parody, satire, commentary or criticism and material that is evidently fictional.

The bill was introduced by state senator Nick Pisciottano, whose office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, The Verge reported. A violation could result in a civil fine of up to $3,000, according to The Center Square, which reported that the state’s attorney general’s office expected enforcement to require a deputy attorney general, a technologist and an administrative assistant (The Center Square).

Sources

• The Verge, via Mezha: https://mezha.net/eng/news/mezha-f6c0a8a3f01db79a8ea6cc4a_pennsylvania_will_require/
• The Center Square, via Media PA Now: https://mediapanow.com/state-news/legislature-sends-shapiro-a-bill-requiring-labels-on-ai-altered-ads/
• GenAInews: https://genainews.tech/pennsylvania-enacts-law-requiring-labels-on-ai-generated-ads/