Two bills from CITED’s bill package pass the California Assembly & Senate; generative AI system used for child sexual abuse material taken down after CITED inquiry

萨克拉门托 – This week, legislation addressing the threat that AI-powered disinformation poses to our elections cleared the last major hurdle in the California state legislature. 账单由加州科技与民主倡议组织赞助（引文), a project of California Common Cause, passed the Senate and Assembly floors and now head to Governor Newsom’s desk to be signed into law by the end of September.

“If these bills are signed by the Governor, California will have taken the most assertive steps in the U.S. to date to address the dangers that AI and disinformation pose to our elections,” said Jonathan Mehta Stein，加州共同事业执行董事兼 CITED 联合创始人. “We can’t afford to wait for another election or legislative cycle to take action. CITED’s legislation can help lead the way for reforms in other states and nationally in Congress.”

The legislative package aims to help regulate the dangers of disinformation turbocharged by AI and social media without stifling innovation or freedom of speech. The two CITED bills that now sit on the Governor’s desk are:

• AB 2839，来自议员 Gail Pellerin. 在选举日前夕，禁止在竞选广告和选举通讯中使用误导性深度伪造内容，保护候选人和选举官员，同时尊重第一修正案。这项法律将解决伊隆·马斯克分享 误导性深度伪造 video of Vice President Kamala Harris, which was viewed 150 million times in one week on X. 
• AB 2655，来自议员 Marc Berman. Combats online disinformation in our elections by requiring social media platforms to label generative AI deepfakes that can deceive voters as digital or fake content, and by prohibiting the posting of the most pernicious of them close to Election Day. 

“At home and around the world, we’re already seeing how AI-powered disinformation can undermine the integrity of election processes and hurt voters,” said Drew Liebert，CITED 主任. “CITED’s bills represent some of the most nuanced, balanced, and forward-looking attempts in the United States seeking to protect our democracy from the growing digital threats. We hope the Governor will keep California as the nation’s democracy leader and make these bold measures models for the nation.”

Additionally, this week a popular AI deepfake tool used to generate child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate imagery (also known as child pornography and deepfake pornography) was recalled after inquiries from CITED’s Senior Policy Advisor, David Evan Harris. This sets a precedent that AI companies will likely see increased scrutiny should they continue releasing irresponsible and unethical products.

2023 年 11 月，加州共同事业发起了加州科技与民主倡议 (CITED)，旨在帮助加州领导解决虚假信息、人工智能、深度伪造和其他新兴技术对我们的民主和选举构成的威胁的斗争。公众渴望这些解决方案。在 2023 年 11 月伯克利 IGS 民意调查其中，84% 的加州选民表示他们担心数字威胁选举，73% 表示他们认为州政府有“责任”采取行动。这种支持来自所有种族、年龄、性别、地区和政党的选民。

CITED 的提案参考了以下机构的研究和思想领导力： 科技、法律、公共政策、民权、公民参与和学术界的巨头并受到欧盟、白宫、国会和全国各州的成功经验和新兴理念的影响。CITED 的指导方针独立于行业，由两党领导，不受私人议程和党派偏见的影响。 

In its first year, CITED has cemented itself as Sacramento’s go-to source of independent, unbiased policy expertise where technology issues impact democracy and voters. In addition to advising key decision-makers, and in the face of congressional inaction, CITED advanced its own legislative agenda.

加州共同事业组织和 CITED 感谢众议员 Buffy Wicks、众议员 Gail Pellerin、众议员 Marc Berman 和参议员 Steve Padilla 在 2024 年立法会议上的领导和合作。