Congressman Joe Morelle (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on House Administration, is the latest to express strong support for the FCC’s proposed rule on disclosing AI-generated content in political ads aired on radio and TV.
In a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Rep. Morelle highlighted concerns over the lack of regulation regarding AI in political communications, emphasizing the potential for misuse to mislead and manipulate voters. He noted that AI has already been used in campaigns, such as a recent incident involving a deepfake audio of Martin Luther King Jr. endorsing a political candidate.
The American public deserves to know whether the political advertisements they see on television or hear on the radio have been manipulated by generative AI,” Morelle stated.
The House Committee on House Administration plays a significant role in overseeing federal elections and campaign finance, including the regulation of election laws and the Federal Election Commission.
He underscored the necessity of regulating AI to safeguard the accuracy of information during elections, especially with political ad spending expected to exceed $12 billion in 2024, with the vast majority playing out over the air.
Morelle finished by calling for a broader governmental approach to address the threat of AI in political ads, saying, “Deterring the untoward use of AI by bad actors for political gain during this and future election cycles requires a whole-of-government approach, and I hope that other agencies will soon follow. As the top Democrat of the Committee responsible for overseeing federal election law, I am deeply concerned with the ways in which AI will exacerbate already widespread disinformation designed to deceive and confuse voters.”
During the August recess, more House Democrats voiced support for the rulemaking as well. Led by House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA), Democrats sent a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel backing the NPRM, which has become a partisan issue.
