New York Becomes First State to Require AI Performer Disclosures in Ads, Drawing Industry Backlash
Summary
New York becomes the first state to require clear AI performer disclosures in advertisements, with fines up to $5,000 for violations, sparking a clash between SAG-AFTRA supporters and advertising industry groups warning of compliance chaos.
Key Points
- A new New York law is now in effect requiring all advertisements featuring AI-generated 'synthetic performers' to clearly disclose their use of artificial intelligence, with Gov. Kathy Hochul calling it a first-in-the-nation measure.
- Advertisers who fail to conspicuously disclose the use of synthetic performers face fines of $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for subsequent violations, though exemptions exist for movies, TV shows, video games, audio ads, and AI used solely for language translation.
- The law faces opposition from advertising industry groups like the 4As, who warn it creates compliance uncertainty, while SAG-AFTRA stands as its biggest supporter, and the law exists in tension with a Trump executive order pressuring states to avoid regulating AI.