Bills would ban use of deceptive AI to influence elections  

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Congress is working to make sure artificial intelligence cannot interfere in this year's elections. The Senate Rules Committee advanced bipartisan legislation Wednesday that aims to protect voters from potential threats.

"Let's not make this a partisan issue," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.), said during the markup. "Deepfakes can victimize Democrats and Republicans equally."

The bills would ban deceptive AI content pretending to show federal candidates and require AI disclaimers on political ads.

"If deepfakes are everywhere and no one believes the results of the elections, woe is our democracy," Schumer said.   

But Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, (R-Neb.) worry the bills would infringe on free speech and federalize elections.

"State laws may provide faster ways to seek removal of such ads than the federalized enforcement process in these bills," Fischer said during the markup.

The committee was still able to advance the legislation to the full Senate. Schumer could include them in a larger $32 billion framework on AI he and three other senators introduced Wednesday.

"Whether we will get our act together quick enough to put rules in place before the election, I'm not counting on that," said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, (D-Va.)..

That's why Warner has been urging tech companies to take the lead. More than a dozen have agreed to delete altered content.

"I'd like to see a little more proof of that," Warner said. 

Lawmakers stress voters ultimately need to make sure they know how to spot misinformation as adversaries try to once again influence U.S. elections.

The committee also advanced a third bill Wednesday that received unanimous support. It would create voluntary guidelines for state election officials to help protect their systems from potential AI threats.