The weekend editor at The Verge, who has extensive experience in covering the tech sector for over 18 years, is well-versed in synthesizers and their impact on the industry.
On Thursday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro enacted the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act, which mandates transparency in advertisements generated or altered by artificial intelligence. According to this new law, any form of advertisement—be it a still image, video, audio, or text—that has undergone significant modification or is fully created through AI must clearly display a label, matching the ad's format. This requirement spans all types of advertising, from multi-million dollar television commercials to small, cluttered flyers promoting local dining specials.
Pennsylvania is among the pioneering states to implement such disclosure requirements for AI-generated content. Importantly, the law applies to ads regardless of their original state of creation, meaning that commercials scheduled to air in Pennsylvania may incorporate such labels even if produced elsewhere.
However, the legislation does contain several ambiguities. For instance, the term "significantly modified" lacks a clear definition. Additionally, the law exempts content created for "parody, satire, commentary, or criticism," along with anything that is deemed "evidently fictional," though what constitutes "evidently fictional" remains unclear. The law also implies that only content that uses synthetic elements to foster a "false consumer perception" will necessitate a disclosure. This raises further questions about what is classified as "false" and who gets to make that determination.
As of now, the office of State Senator Nick Pisciottano, the individual who sponsored the bill, has not responded to inquiries for clarification.
