As data suggests Hispanic audiences are more vulnerable to AI manipulation, the National Hispanic Media Coalition is advocating for stringent FCC regulations to protect these communities from misinformation and uphold transparency in political advertisements.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition has submitted detailed comments to the FCC regarding the proposed rulemaking on required disclosures if artificial intelligence used in political advertising on radio, television, or cable.
With regulators like the FCC struggling to keep pace with rapid technological advancements in AI, the coalition states there is a critical need for regulations to effectively safeguard Hispanic voters. “There are significant dangers that AI-generated content poses. For the Latino community, which already faces a higher risk of exposure to information fraud in Spanish-language media, the potential for AI-generated content to further erode trust in the political process is particularly concerning,” the comment says.
NHMC points out that Hispanic communities are particularly susceptible to misinformation, a risk exacerbated by AI’s capability to create persuasive and culturally nuanced content. This makes it easier for misleading information to spread within these communities, potentially influencing voter decisions based on inaccurate information.
The filing raises concerns about AI’s ability to produce content in various languages, which could lead to targeted disinformation campaigns. Hispanic voters, who often access media in Spanish, might be more exposed to AI-generated misinformation if it is crafted in their preferred language, leveraging the inherent trust in native language communications.
As such, the coalition is calling on the FCC to make disclosures multilingual, to do the most good.
The NHMC also expresses concern that the personalization capabilities of AI could lead to disillusionment among Hispanic voters once the artificial nature of these interactions is disclosed. This could undermine trust in the political entities using such technologies and, over time, erode confidence in the democratic process itself.
The comments close by stating, “NHMC is encouraged by the Commission’s call for comment on this critical issue, and takes pride in partnering with the Chairwoman to ensure that Latino consumers – and all consumers – are protected from the harms of AI. The timeliness of this proceeding goes without statement, and it is our belief that the impact of disclaimers for AI-generated political advertising content in-language and on all platforms will be profound for the Latino community who over-indexes on exposure to online content.”
