The update to Google’s policy will go into effect in November, one year before the 2024 presidential election, in which the use of AI in campaign content has already become more prevalent, especially in the Republican presidential primary.
“Given the growing prevalence of tools that produce synthetic content, we’re expanding our policies a step further to require advertisers to disclose when their election ads include material that’s been digitally altered or generated,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.
“This update builds on our existing transparency efforts — it’ll help further support responsible political advertising and provide voters with the information they need to make informed decisions,” the spokesperson said.
All verified election advertisers are required to “prominently disclose” if an ad contains synthetic content that has been digitally altered or generated and “depicts real or realistic-looking people or events,” according to Google.
Ads that have “minor alterations that are inconsequential to the claims,” such as resizing images, color corrections or minor background edits, are exempt from the disclosure requirements.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
