Texas lawmakers have passed a new bill that will require disclaimers for political advertisements that include candidate photos, audio, or video that have had artificial intelligence (AI) changed.
With the passage of the HB 366 bill, it is now legally required that any politician or campaign group that spends more than $100 on political advertising must designate digitally changed media as such. Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) introduced this bill, which was approved by the house 102–40.
What is the purpose of the bill HB 366?
The HB 366 bill's primary goal is to combat false or misleading media in light of artificial intelligence's explosive growth. The measure states that any material that has been edited by AI must be labeled since failing to do so could jeopardize "election integrity." For instance, disclaimers such as "did not occur in reality" must be included in AI-assisted advertisements.
Will violators face a penalty?
The majority-passed bill states that anyone discovered in violation of the statute will often be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. A year in prison and a hefty $4,000 fee would be part of the punishment. State Representative Shelley Luther has denounced this law in political circles, stating, "We're banning political memes and giving people up to a year in jail for failing to attach a disclosure to a cartoon."
Luther, who is a Republican, posted a video on X with her reactions while saying, "Democrats, of course, are rallying around this bill. What a joke."
Meanwhile, Nate Schatzline, the State Representative of texas house district 93 took to X to slam the bill. He said, "Today, we fought against the anti-1st amendment bill (HB366), that will LOCK people UP for one year for posting political memes or political speech."
With the passage of the HB 366 bill, it is now legally required that any politician or campaign group that spends more than $100 on political advertising must designate digitally changed media as such. Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) introduced this bill, which was approved by the house 102–40.
What is the purpose of the bill HB 366?
The HB 366 bill's primary goal is to combat false or misleading media in light of artificial intelligence's explosive growth. The measure states that any material that has been edited by AI must be labeled since failing to do so could jeopardize "election integrity." For instance, disclaimers such as "did not occur in reality" must be included in AI-assisted advertisements.
Will violators face a penalty?
The majority-passed bill states that anyone discovered in violation of the statute will often be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. A year in prison and a hefty $4,000 fee would be part of the punishment. State Representative Shelley Luther has denounced this law in political circles, stating, "We're banning political memes and giving people up to a year in jail for failing to attach a disclosure to a cartoon."
Luther, who is a Republican, posted a video on X with her reactions while saying, "Democrats, of course, are rallying around this bill. What a joke."
Meanwhile, Nate Schatzline, the State Representative of texas house district 93 took to X to slam the bill. He said, "Today, we fought against the anti-1st amendment bill (HB366), that will LOCK people UP for one year for posting political memes or political speech."
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