New AI Law Leaves Voters in the Dark

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor DeSantis signed into law House Bill (HB) 919, which fails to properly protect Floridians from manipulated information created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in political advertising.

In response to the signing, Amy Keith, Executive Director of Common Cause Florida issued the following statement:

“Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature missed an opportunity to protect voters from the threats presented by AI and deepfakes in our elections.

“The disclaimer required by this bill is weak and unclear and fails to adequately inform Floridians of the dangerous disinformation to which they’re exposed. And the bill has no safety valve  to take down manipulated and misleading political advertisements as fast as possible. As a result, Florida voters won’t have any meaningful protection.

“The Legislature opted for the weakest possible approach, which fails to safeguard Floridians from these kinds of falsehoods. It is important for Floridians to know that if they see the disclaimer “Created in whole or in part with the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)” on a political advertisement, they are likely looking at manipulated information or something that did not actually occur.

“No eligible Florida voter should be deprived of their right to vote due to confusion, manipulation, or intimidation. Despite this law’s lack of protection for voters, we will continue to educate Floridians, combat election disinformation, and work to protect all voters across the state.”

###