Deepfakes and campaign disinformation in crosshairs - Yahoo News Australia

Independent MP Zali Steggall is introducing legislation aimed at curbing deceptive political advertising, specifically targeting the rise of AI-generated content in election campaigning. The proposed bill seeks to establish a political advertising standards board to enforce truth, accuracy, and clear disclosure requirements for synthetic media.

What happened

The legislative push follows the emergence of various AI-generated political advertisements that have raised concerns regarding voter deception. Among these instances is a One Nation campaign featuring an AI-generated image of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looking at the Sydney Opera House, which had been digitally altered to display the party's campaign slogan. Other examples of synthetic or manipulated content cited include social media posts depicting Peter Dutton as an NRL player and instances where independent candidates were portrayed as members of the Greens party.

Under the proposed Truth in Political Advertising bill, any AI-generated content or material capable of deceiving voters would require clear labeling. The newly established standards board would possess the authority to order the alteration or removal of advertisements deemed misleading or deceptive. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in financial penalties reaching up to $300,000. Steggall argues that the bill is necessary to restore public trust in the electoral process, citing polling from the Australian Democracy Network that shows 70 percent of Australians support such reforms. The bill exclusively covers electorally authorized materials and does not extend to personal opinions or public statements made by politicians.