TLDR:
California lawmakers have approved legislation to ban deepfakes, regulate AI, and protect workers in the tech industry. The bills aim to combat the use of AI to create deceptive content, set safety measures for AI models, and prevent workers from being replaced by AI clones. The legislation also includes efforts to increase AI literacy and education in schools.
Key Points:
- California lawmakers approved bills to regulate AI, combat deepfakes, and protect workers in the tech industry.
- Legislation includes bans on deepfakes related to elections, requirements for social media platforms to remove deceptive material, and safety measures for large AI models.
Full Article:
California lawmakers have approved a host of proposals this week aiming to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, combat deepfakes and protect workers from exploitation by the rapidly evolving technology. The California Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, is voting on hundreds of bills during its final week of the session to send to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Their deadline is Saturday. The Democratic governor has until Sept. 30 to sign the proposals, veto them or let them become law without his signature. Newsom signaled in July he will sign a proposal to crack down on election deepfakes but has not weighed in other legislation. He warned earlier this summer that overregulation could hurt the homegrown industry. In recent years, he often has cited the state’s budget troubles when rejecting legislation that he would otherwise support.
Citing concerns over how AI tools are increasingly being used to trick voters and generate deepfake pornography of minors, California lawmakers approved several bills this week to crack down on the practice. Lawmakers approved legislation to ban deepfakes related to elections and require large social media platforms to remove the deceptive material 120 days before Election Day and 60 days thereafter. Campaigns also would be required to publicly disclose if they’re running ads with materials altered by AI. Another measure would require the state to set safety protocols preventing risks and algorithmic discrimination before agencies could enter any contract involving AI models used to define decisions
Inspired by the months-long Hollywood actors strike last year, lawmakers approved a proposal to protect workers, including voice actors and audiobook performers, from being replaced by their AI-generated clones. State and local agencies would be banned from using AI to replace workers at call centers under one of the proposals. California also may create penalties for digitally cloning dead people without consent of their estates.
As corporations increasingly weave AI into Americans’ daily lives, state lawmakers also passed several bills to increase AI literacy. One proposal would require a state working group to consider incorporating AI skills into math, science, history and social science curriculums. Another would develop guidelines on how schools could use AI in the classrooms.