The rise of artificial intelligence has drawn the attention of California legislators, who are concerned about the use of AI in political advertising and university classrooms, prompting calls for stricter regulations on this new technology.
Assembly Bill AB2355 aims to mandate disclosure if AI technology is used to alter the original state of images, voices, or videos in political advertisements.
Introduced by Democratic Assembly members Wendy Carrillo and Sabrina Cervantes, the bill passed the Assembly without opposition in May and is currently undergoing hearings in the State Senate committee.
On June 28, Carrillo told English Epoch Times, “As this technology (AI) becomes cheaper, faster, and more accessible to the public, and is favored by candidates and political campaigns, its impact on democracy requires us to take action.”
She stated that the rapid advancement of AI technology has led to the creation of “highly convincing fake materials.”
If the bill eventually reaches the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom and is signed into law by him, it will take effect on January 1, 2025.
A report by the Technology Policy Center at the University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina in 2023 explored the potential risks of “generative AI platforms” such as OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT and Anthropic’s large language model Claude.
The report pointed out, “Generative AI platforms can enable existing advertisers to create more false content and allow new advertisers to enter the market with deceptive ads.”
Carrillo stated that the latest amendment to the bill will limit its implementation to the state-level campaign committee.
She said, “This change sets a precedent by incorporating disclosure of generative AI into our existing transparency requirements.”
In February, Cervantes introduced another bill, AB2370, addressing the emerging technology.
AB2370 aims to specify qualifications for faculty members in California community colleges. According to Cervantes’ office, this will ensure that community college students are not subjected to AI teaching.
The Community College Teachers Association has expressed support for the bill. After the bill passed the State Senate earlier this month, the association posted on social media, “We appreciate Assemblymember Cervantes and her team’s hard work on this bill and look forward to Governor Newsom signing it into law.”
AB2370 is currently on Newsom’s desk, awaiting the governor’s signature or veto.
In a press release on June 13, Cervantes stated, “While artificial intelligence has its place in community college classrooms, human teachers remain the best choice for educating students.”