N.Y. Legislature Passes Bill Requiring Disclaimers for Use of Synthetic Performers in Advertising
In a historic move marking a new era of transparency in artificial intelligence use in advertising, the New York Legislature has passed A.8887-B (Rosenthal)/S.8420-A (Gianaris). This bill is the first law in the country, and possibly the world, to mandate disclaimers when consumers are being sold to by people generated by artificial intelligence or “synthetic performers.” The legislation requires anyone who produces or creates an advertisement to conspicuously disclose if that advertisement includes a synthetic human. If you are being sold to by a machine, you will know it.
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “In the age of deepfakes, it’s essential that consumers be informed when an individual they’re seeing in advertisements is not an authentic human. We must continue to acknowledge and defend the value of real human expertise and artistry in all media and creative work. SAG-AFTRA applauds state Sen. Michael Gianaris, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and the New York Legislature for championing this vital step toward a future that centers truth and accountability.”
Generative artificial intelligence models present unique opportunities and create serious risks. To maintain trust in a digital world, we need guardrails on certain synthetic creations. This bill is narrowly tailored to target the use of synthetic humans in advertisements. People deserve to know who is selling to them, and this bill provides that safeguard.
This bill arrives amid increasing concerns over the proliferation of generative A.I. in media, where hyper-realistic clones, deepfake influencers and A.I. spokespersons have blurred the line between real and fake. This bill puts consumers first, providing a level of accountability and trust urgently needed in the digital world. We hope this is the first of many more to come.
We look forward to Gov. Hochul is signing the bill into law.
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