AUGUSTA – Last week, the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted in favor of advancing LD 517, a measure sponsored by Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth. As amended, the bill would enhance protections for Maine elections by requiring political campaigns and political action committees to provide a disclosure label for any image, audio or video that is made with or modified by artificial intelligence (AI).
In recent years, AI has become increasingly prevalent in American politics. In 2024, the Federal Communications Commission fined a political consultant for orchestrating a robocall scam that artificially manipulated the voice of then-President Biden, calling Democratic households in New Hampshire to dissuade them from voting.
“Maine voters deserve to know what’s real and what isn’t,” said Kuhn. “Using artificial intelligence in political ads deliberately deceives voters and intentionally creates distrust in our elections. Requiring campaigns to disclose when something isn’t real will help increase transparency for voters.”
Public Citizen, a national consumer advocacy organization, spoke in favor of the measure.
“The proposal does not prohibit the use of synthetic media and deceptive deepfakes in electioneering communications, but instead requires reasonable disclosure to voters,” said Dr. Craig Holman, the government affairs liaison for Public Citizen. “The legislation includes the key elements necessary for mitigating the damage to the electoral process and the public’s confidence in fair and open elections, all the while being protective of First Amendment concerns.”
Following its preliminary vote in the Judiciary Committee, the bill has been sent to the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee for language review before it will advance to the House floor for further action.
Rep. Kuhn is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents part of Falmouth. She is the House chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Kuhn) | 305-965-2744