Johnson Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Protect Elections from Deceptive Artificial Intelligence (AI)

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Julie Johnson (TX-32), a member of the Subcommittee on Elections under the House Administration Committee, introduced the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, a bipartisan bill to safeguard American democracy from the growing threat of artificial intelligence-generated election disinformation. The legislation:

• Prohibits the distribution of materially deceptive audio or visual media that is generated by AI relating to federal candidates;

• Allows a federal candidate whose voice or likeness appears in such materially deceptive AI-generated audio or visual media to bring a civil action for injunctive relief or damages;

• And maintains First Amendment exceptions for the use of AI for satire, parody, and content for news broadcasts.

"The health of our democracy is on the line as deepfakes and AI-generated content are being used to manipulate voters. If we don't act now, our elections will be flooded with increased misinformation that threatens our ability to determine fact from fiction," said Johnson. "My Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act protects every American's right to cast a ballot based on truth, not manufactured deception. Trust in our elections is the foundation of the peaceful transfer of power, and without it, our democracy is at risk."

"I've led on election reform my entire career, and artificial intelligence is the next major challenge we must confront. From deepfakes to algorithmic disinformation, AI is reshaping how voters receive information-and how bad actors can exploit it," said Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), a Republican co-lead of the bill. "Our Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act closes that gap by banning misleading AI-generated content in political ads, safeguarding candidates and ensuring our elections remain free, fair, and rooted in truth."

"While Artificial Intelligence is rapidly expanding our access to good information, unfortunately it can and will likely be used to spread false information and to confuse voters as well," said Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), a Democratic co-lead of the bill. "Our democracy suffers if people cannot trust what they see and hear when making decisions at the ballot box. I'm proud to work with my colleagues to introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure AI is not used to weaken confidence in our elections."

"I served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as a cryptologist. While technology has the power to do a lot of good, it's also important that we prevent our adversaries from using it to harm us. That's especially true when it comes to our elections," said Representative Tony Gonzales (TX-23), a Republican co-lead of the bill. "The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act builds a strong foundation to protect voters from dishonest AI-generated material. This bill is critical to enhancing our election integrity, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this bipartisan proposal across the finish line."

The bill has already secured endorsements from leading democracy and accountability organizations, including End Citizens United, Campaign Legal Center, Public Citizen, and the Institute for Responsible Government.

"We are living in the Wild West era of AI practices in political campaigns. As AI gets more advanced and deeply integrated into our daily lives, it's becoming increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction. Without clear guardrails, bad actors will exploit this technology to mislead voters and undermine our democracy," said End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller. "Congresswoman Johnson's bill is a commonsense, urgently needed safeguard that protects voters from being manipulated by fake images and videos designed to distort the truth. Voters have a right to know that what they're seeing and hearing in our elections is real."

"Ever since the 2020 election cycle, AI technology has become so advanced that it can now depict a false but realistic-appearing image and voice of any candidate doing or saying something that never, ever happened," said Craig Holman, Ph.D., from Public Citizen. "When used to harm a candidate or deceive voters, this constitutes fraud, damaging not only the candidate's reputation but also undermining the integrity of elections with disinformation. The Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act would rein in this fraudulent misrepresentation in campaign messages and is strongly supported by Public Citizen."

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

Congresswoman Julie Johnson represents Texas's 32nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, serving on the Homeland Security Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Administration Committee. Her district includes parts of Collin, Dallas, and Denton Counties.

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