Rhode Island Legislation Targets Deepfakes in Elections 

 
This article originally appeared in the Boston Globe on March 11, 2024, and was written by Edward Fitzpatrick.  

Below is the Common Cause staff’s quote included in the article following the discussion of using artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology in campaign and election-related materials. 

“John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said the federal government has largely ceded regulating such technology so states are stepping up to address deepfakes. He said he is not aware of any deepfakes used in Rhode Island elections, but he said AI technology has come a long way in the past 12 months and he wouldn’t be surprised to see deepfakes in the state’s fall elections.”

“Marion noted that in November, a University of Chicago poll found 58 percent of Americans believe AI will lead to an increase in the spread of misinformation in the upcoming election, and 66 percent support a federal ban on the use of deepfakes. “In the absence of action by Congress, the [R.I.] General Assembly needs to regulate the use of this technology,” he said.”

To read the full article, click here.