The Florida House Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice advanced legislation on Monday that would mandate disclaimers in political ads using generative AI.

The Florida House Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice advanced House Bill 919 on Monday, a proposed measure aimed at regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in political advertising.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Alex Rizo, focuses on generative artificial intelligence. The measure comes as a response to concerns about AI’s ability to produce misleading or false information, which could impact the integrity of elections, and requires political ads that use generative AI to clearly state this fact in a disclaimer.

The bill additionally outlines penalties for ads that fail to include this disclaimer, with fines of up to $2,500 for the first three offenses and $7,500 for each subsequent offense. It also includes a provision for an expedited hearing process to address complaints about ads that violate this requirement. If passed into law, the measure would make Florida one of the first states to legislate on the use of AI in political advertising.

“The technology that produces this content has advanced rapidly and outpaced government regulation,” said Rizo. “HB 919 seeks to address the rising concern of deceptive campaign advertising by mandating disclaimers on political ads that contain certain content generated through artificial intelligence.”

The Senate companion bill, introduced by Sen. Nick DeCiglie, was advanced by the chamber’s Ethics and Elections Committee earlier this month. The measure would similarly require political ads using AI technology to include a notice that tool was involved in its creation. The bill passed with a 4-2 vote along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats expressing concerns.

Bolstering AI regulations, Sen. Joe Gruters introduced legislation in December that seeks to regulate and standardize the use of the technology across state government agencies.

The bill, scheduled for implementation on July 1, 2024, if adopted, lays the groundwork for a uniform approach to AI deployment and governance within the state. A primary provision involves the formation of an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, to be housed within the Department of Management Services.

The council would be tasked with several key functions: evaluate the need for legal reforms and establish an ethics code for AI use in state government; study the impact of AI on the rights of Florida residents; assess potential benefits and risks of AI for the state, its people, and businesses; and recommend policies to promote AI development in Florida.