Newspaper article from CNBC

Google will soon require

disclosures for AI-generated
election ads
PUB L I SHED THU, SEP 7 2 0 2 3 1 0 :3 3 AM EDTUPDATED THU, SEP 7 202311:16 AM EDT

Lauren Feiner
KEY POINTS
 Google has created new disclosure rules for election advertisers that use
AI in their messages or visuals.

 Campaigning for the 2024 U.S. elections is beginning to kick into high
gear, coinciding with the rise of popular generative AI tools.

 The policy will take effect in mid-November.

Election ads running on Google and YouTube that are created

with artificial intelligence will soon have to carry a clear disclosure,
according to new rules created by the company.

The new disclosure requirement for digitally altered or created

content comes as campaigning for the 2024 presidential and
congressional elections kicks into high gear. New AI tools such as
OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have contributed to concerns
about how easily deceptive information can be created and spread
online.

“Given the growing prevalence of tools that produce synthetic

content, we’re expanding our policies a step further to require
advertisers to disclose when their election ads include material that’s
been digitally altered or generated,” a Google spokesperson said in a
statement. “This update builds on our existing transparency efforts —
it’ll help further support responsible political advertising and provide
voters with the information they need to make informed decisions.”

The policy will take effect in mid-November and will require election
advertisers to disclose that ads containing AI-generated elements
have been computer-generated or do not show real events. Minor
changes such as brightening or resizing an image do not require such
a disclosure.

Election ads that have been digitally created or altered must include
a disclosure such as, “This audio was computer-generated,” or “This
image does not depict real events.”

Google and other digital ad platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and

Instagram already have some policies around election ads and
digitally altered posts. In 2018, for example, Google began requiring
an identity verification process to run election ads on its platforms.
Meta in 2020 announced a general ban on “misleading manipulated
media” such as deepfakes, which can use AI to create potentially
convincing false videos.