Newsom attacks memes and deepfakes in politics - Really?

Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a set of laws aimed at combating the use of deepfake technology in political contexts, marking the most aggressive measures yet in the U.S. to curb AI-generated disinformation. The new law specifically targets digitally altered videos, audio, and images used to deceive voters, requiring large social media platforms to remove or label such content if it is related to elections. It also allows politicians and other public officials to seek legal action against platforms that fail to comply.

This move comes in response to rising concerns about AI's potential to disrupt elections and manipulate public opinion through hyper-realistic deepfakes. One of the new laws bans the creation and distribution of deceptive deepfakes for 120 days leading up to an election, while another mandates that political ads using AI must include disclaimers indicating the content has been altered.

Newsom’s actions follow his public rebuke of Elon Musk earlier this year after Musk shared an AI-altered video of Vice President Kamala Harris. The governor emphasized that these laws are crucial to maintaining election integrity in the face of rapidly advancing AI technologies that make it easier to deceive voters with fake content​