California's 5 new AI laws crack down on election deepfakes and actor clones

California Governor Gavin Newsom has enacted five new laws aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, marking a significant step in the state's approach to AI governance. Three of these laws focus on combating AI-generated deepfakes that could impact elections. Specifically, AB 2655 mandates that large online platforms, such as Facebook and X, must either remove or label AI deepfakes related to elections and provide reporting channels for such content. Additionally, AB 2355 requires disclosures for AI-generated political advertisements. The remaining two laws, driven by the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, establish protections for actors by requiring studios to obtain consent before creating AI replicas of their likenesses or voices, as outlined in AB 2602. AB 1836 further prohibits the creation of digital replicas of deceased performers without estate consent. Governor Newsom is also reviewing 38 other AI-related bills, including the controversial SB 1047, which has raised concerns about its potential impact on the open-source AI ecosystem. He has expressed the need to balance addressing AI risks while fostering innovation.

- California has introduced stringent laws regulating AI, particularly concerning election-related deepfakes.

- Large online platforms must label or remove AI deepfakes and disclose AI-generated political ads.

- Hollywood studios are required to obtain consent from actors before creating AI replicas of their likenesses.

- The laws aim to protect both living and deceased performers from unauthorized digital replication.

- Governor Newsom is considering additional AI legislation, including the contentious SB 1047.