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As the 2024 Presidential election approaches, Google has announced significant changes to its political content policy. In response to the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-altered political ads, the tech giant has introduced new rules. 

It now mandates the prominent disclosure of AI-altered political ads on its platforms, including Google and YouTube.

 The aim is to address concerns surrounding the authenticity and transparency of campaign materials in the digital age.

Google's New Disclosure Rules

Under the updated policy, any political advertising materials that feature "synthetic" or artificially altered content, including people, voices, or events, must prominently disclose their use of AI within the advertisement itself. 

While Google already prohibits the use of deepfake content in advertising, the expanded disclosure rules encompass any AI alterations beyond minor edits, as reported by the Washington Post.

Google is not enforcing a complete ban on AI in political advertising. The company allows exceptions for AI-generated content that does not significantly impact the claims made in the ad.

Exceptions are made for editing techniques such as image resizing, cropping, color correction, defect correction, and background edits.

Additionally, AI can continue to be used for video and photo editing purposes, such as image resizing, cropping, color correction, defect correction, or background edits.

AI Impacts the 2024 Election

The intersection of political ads and Big Tech is becoming increasingly significant in the context of the upcoming 2024 election. 

Elon Musk's recent announcement regarding the acceptance of political ads on X (formerly Twitter) and the proliferation of unlabeled advertisements on various platforms have drawn attention to the evolving landscape of political campaigning.

A report from Media Matters for America in September highlighted Meta platforms' failure to enforce their political ads policy, citing instances of unlabeled right-wing advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.

Google's new disclosure policy is set to take effect in November and will apply to election ads across Google's platforms, including YouTube, as well as third-party websites within the company's ad network.

AI Deepfake: Detectable, but Will It Matter in the 2024 Election? – USA Herald

AI-Altered political ads 

AI-powered generative tools, like ChatGPT have made it easier and more realistic to create fake images, videos, and audio clips for political advertising. 

Some presidential campaigns in the 2024 race have already utilized this technology. These deepfakes may include synthetic voices of political figures saying things they never actually said.

For instance, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign released an entirely AI-generated ad depicting a dystopian future if President Joe Biden were to be reelected. This ad included fake but realistic images showing boarded-up storefronts, military patrols, and waves of immigrants.

In another example, DeSantis' campaign used AI-generated images in an attack ad against his GOP primary opponent, Donald Trump, showing the former president hugging infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Federal Regulation Efforts

Recognizing the potential misuse of AI-generated deepfakes in political ads, the Federal Election Commission initiated a process to regulate such content ahead of the 2024 election. 

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a co-sponsor of pending legislation that requires disclaimers on deceptive AI-generated political ads, welcomed Google's announcement as a positive step but emphasized the need for more comprehensive regulation beyond voluntary commitments. 

Several states have also discussed or enacted legislation related to deepfake technology.

Facebook and Instagram's parent company, Meta, restricts manipulated audio and imagery used for misinformation. And TikTok currently does not allow any political ads. 

X, formerly Twitter, has not yet announced its stance on AI-generated political ads.