New York State Legislature passes bills requiring disclaimers to use synthetic performers in advertising
In a historic move that marks a new era of transparency in the use of artificial intelligence in advertising, the New York Congress passed A.8887-B (Rosenthal)/S.8420-A (Gianaris). The bill is the first law in the country that requires disclaimers when consumers are being sold by people generated by artificial intelligence or “synthetic performers.” The Act requires that those who create or create advertisements that will highlight whether the advertisement contains synthetic humans and disclose them. If you are sold on a machine, you will know that.
Duncan Crabtree, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of SAG-AFTRA – Ireland said, “In the age of deepfake, it is essential that consumers be notified if the individual you see in your ads are not a real person, as the New York State Legislature defends this important step towards a future centered around truth and accountability.”
Generic artificial intelligence models present unique opportunities and create serious risks. Maintaining trust in the digital world requires guardrails on specific synthetic works. The bill has been narrowly adjusted to target synthetic human use in advertising. People deserve to know who is selling them, and the bill provides for that safety measure.
The bill arrives amid growing concern over the proliferation of generated AI in the media. There, surreal clones, deepfarquin influencers and AI spokesmen blur the line between actual fakes. The bill puts consumers first and provides the level of accountability and trust that is urgently needed in the digital world. I hope this is the first and first thing to do in the future.
We look forward to Governor Hochul signing the bill into law.
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