Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB1213 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 1213
5	5	To prohibit the distribution of materially deceptive AI-generated audio or
6	6	visual media relating to candidates for Federal office, and for other purposes.
7	7	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
8	8	MARCH31, 2025
9	9	Ms. K
10	10	LOBUCHAR(for herself, Mr. HAWLEY, Mr. COONS, Ms. COLLINS, and
11	11	Mr. B
12	12	ENNET) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and re-
13	13	ferred to the Committee on Rules and Administration
14	14	A BILL
15	15	To prohibit the distribution of materially deceptive AI-gen-
16	16	erated audio or visual media relating to candidates for
17	17	Federal office, and for other purposes.
18	18	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
19	19	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
20	20	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
21	21	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protect Elections from 4
22	22	Deceptive AI Act’’. 5
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25	25	•S 1213 IS
26	26	SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON DISTRIBUTION OF MATERIALLY 1
27	27	DECEPTIVE AI-GENERATED AUDIO OR VIS-2
28	28	UAL MEDIA PRIOR TO ELECTION. 3
29	29	(a) I
30	30	NGENERAL.—Title III of the Federal Election 4
31	31	Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.) is 5
32	32	amended by adding at the end the following new section: 6
33	33	‘‘SEC. 325. PROHIBITION ON DISTRIBUTION OF MATERI-7
34	34	ALLY DECEPTIVE AI-GENERATED AUDIO OR 8
35	35	VISUAL MEDIA. 9
36	36	‘‘(a) D
37	37	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 10
38	38	‘‘(1) C
39	39	OVERED INDIVIDUAL .—The term ‘cov-11
40	40	ered individual’ means a candidate for Federal of-12
41	41	fice. 13
42	42	‘‘(2) D
43	43	ECEPTIVE AI-GENERATED AUDIO OR VIS -14
44	44	UAL MEDIA.—The term ‘deceptive AI-generated 15
45	45	audio or visual media’ means an image, audio, or 16
46	46	video that— 17
47	47	‘‘(A) is the product of artificial intelligence 18
48	48	technology that uses machine learning (includ-19
49	49	ing deep learning models, natural learning proc-20
50	50	essing, or any other computational processing 21
51	51	techniques of similar or greater complexity), 22
52	52	that— 23
53	53	‘‘(i) merges, combines, replaces, or su-24
54	54	perimposes content onto an image, audio, 25
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57	57	•S 1213 IS
58	58	or video, creating an image, audio, or video 1
59	59	that appears authentic; or 2
60	60	‘‘(ii) generates an inauthentic image, 3
61	61	audio, or video that appears authentic; and 4
62	62	‘‘(B) a reasonable person, having consid-5
63	63	ered the qualities of the image, audio, or video 6
64	64	and the nature of the distribution channel in 7
65	65	which the image, audio, or video appears— 8
66	66	‘‘(i) would have a fundamentally dif-9
67	67	ferent understanding or impression of the 10
68	68	appearance, speech, or expressive conduct 11
69	69	exhibited in the image, audio, or video 12
70	70	than that person would have if that person 13
71	71	were hearing or seeing the unaltered, origi-14
72	72	nal version of the image, audio, or video; 15
73	73	or 16
74	74	‘‘(ii) would believe that the image, 17
75	75	audio, or video accurately exhibits any ap-18
76	76	pearance, speech, or expressive conduct of 19
77	77	a person who did not actually exhibit such 20
78	78	appearance, speech, or expressive conduct. 21
79	79	‘‘(3) F
80	80	EDERAL ELECTION ACTIVITY .—The term 22
81	81	‘Federal election activity’ has the meaning given the 23
82	82	term in section 301(20)(A)(iii). 24
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85	85	•S 1213 IS
86	86	‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in sub-1
87	87	section (c), a person, political committee, or other entity 2
88	88	may not knowingly distribute materially deceptive AI-gen-3
89	89	erated audio or visual media in carrying out a Federal 4
90	90	election activity or of a covered individual for the purpose 5
91	91	of— 6
92	92	‘‘(1) influencing an election; or 7
93	93	‘‘(2) soliciting funds. 8
94	94	‘‘(c) I
95	95	NAPPLICABILITY TOCERTAINENTITIES.—This 9
96	96	section shall not apply to the following: 10
97	97	‘‘(1) A radio or television broadcasting station, 11
98	98	including a cable or satellite television operator, pro-12
99	99	grammer, or producer, or a streaming service that 13
100	100	broadcasts materially deceptive AI-generated audio 14
101	101	or visual media prohibited by this section as part of 15
102	102	a bona fide newscast, news interview, news documen-16
103	103	tary, or on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news 17
104	104	events, if the broadcast clearly acknowledges through 18
105	105	content or a disclosure, in a manner that can be eas-19
106	106	ily heard or read by the average listener or viewer, 20
107	107	that there are questions about the authenticity of 21
108	108	the materially deceptive AI-generated audio or visual 22
109	109	media. 23
110	110	‘‘(2) A regularly published newspaper, maga-24
111	111	zine, or other periodical of general circulation, in-25
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114	114	•S 1213 IS
115	115	cluding an internet or electronic publication, that 1
116	116	routinely carries news and commentary of general 2
117	117	interest, and that publishes materially deceptive AI- 3
118	118	generated audio or visual media prohibited under 4
119	119	this section, if the publication clearly states that the 5
120	120	materially deceptive AI-generated audio or visual 6
121	121	media does not accurately represent the speech or 7
122	122	conduct of the covered individual. 8
123	123	‘‘(3) Materially deceptive AI-generated audio or 9
124	124	visual media that constitutes satire or parody. 10
125	125	‘‘(d) C
126	126	IVILACTION.— 11
127	127	‘‘(1) I
128	128	NJUNCTIVE OR OTHER EQUITABLE RE -12
129	129	LIEF.— 13
130	130	‘‘(A) I
131	131	N GENERAL.—A covered individual 14
132	132	whose voice or likeness appears in, or who is 15
133	133	the subject of, a materially deceptive AI-gen-16
134	134	erated audio or visual media, including content 17
135	135	distributed as part of a Federal election activ-18
136	136	ity, distributed in violation of this section may 19
137	137	seek injunctive or other equitable relief prohib-20
138	138	iting the distribution of materially deceptive AI- 21
139	139	generated audio or visual media in violation of 22
140	140	this section. 23
141	141	‘‘(B) P
142	142	RECEDENCE.—An action under this 24
143	143	paragraph shall be entitled to precedence in ac-25
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146	146	•S 1213 IS
147	147	cordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Proce-1
148	148	dure. 2
149	149	‘‘(2) D
150	150	AMAGES.— 3
151	151	‘‘(A) I
152	152	N GENERAL.—A covered individual 4
153	153	whose voice or likeness appears in, or who is 5
154	154	the subject of, a materially deceptive AI-gen-6
155	155	erated audio or visual media, including content 7
156	156	distributed as part of a Federal election activ-8
157	157	ity, distributed in violation of this section may 9
158	158	bring an action for general or special damages 10
159	159	against the person, committee, or other entity 11
160	160	that distributed the materially deceptive AI-gen-12
161	161	erated audio or visual media. 13
162	162	‘‘(B) A
163	163	TTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS .—In 14
164	164	addition to any damages awarded under sub-15
165	165	paragraph (A), the court may also award a pre-16
166	166	vailing party reasonable attorney’s fees and 17
167	167	costs. 18
168	168	‘‘(C) R
169	169	ULE OF CONSTRUCTION .—Nothing 19
170	170	in this paragraph shall be construed to limit or 20
171	171	preclude a plaintiff from securing or recovering 21
172	172	any other available remedy. 22
173	173	‘‘(3) B
174	174	URDEN OF PROOF .—In any civil action 23
175	175	alleging a violation of this section, the plaintiff shall 24
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178	178	•S 1213 IS
179	179	bear the burden of establishing the violation through 1
180	180	clear and convincing evidence.’’. 2
181	181	(b) S
182	182	EVERABILITY.—If any provision of this Act, or 3
183	183	an amendment made by this Act, or the application of 4
184	184	such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to 5
185	185	be invalid, the remainder of this Act, or an amendment 6
186	186	made by this Act, or the application of such provision to 7
187	187	other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected. 8
188	188	Æ
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