UPDATE — JULY 2025: Alaska Senate Bill 177, introduced in January 2024 to regulate state use of AI and require deepfake disclaimers in campaign communications, did not advance past committee and officially died in the 2023–2024 legislative session. While the bill garnered early attention for its dual focus on government AI ethics and election integrity, no further action was taken before the legislature adjourned. It has not been reintroduced.

ORIGINAL NEWS POST:

There are a multitude of ethical issues involving AI, but one bill in the United States looks to tackle two of them. The Alaska state Senate is considering Senate Bill 177, which was introduced on January 16. The legislation relates to ethical uses of AI, as well as requiring disclosure of deepfakes used in campaign communications.

AI Disclaimers in Political Advertising

The bill requires that any campaign communication using a deepfake depiction of a candidate or political party must prominently include the statement: “This communication has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence.” For audio communications, the statement must be read aloud. For print, video and digital ads, the statement must be clearly visible throughout the entire communication. The media must appear to a reasonable person to show an individual doing or saying something false. Failure to include the required deepfake disclaimer would be considered a violation.

In addition to regulating deepfakes in campaign ads, Senate Bill 177 also addresses state agency use of artificial intelligence. It requires the Alaska Department of Administration to inventory all AI systems used by state agencies for “consequential decisions” affecting individuals. Impact assessments must be conducted regularly analyzing risks and benefits of agency AI systems.

The bill prohibits certain high-risk AI applications by state agencies, such as biometric identification, emotion recognition and social scoring systems. State agencies can only contract for AI services with vendors using multi-factor authentication. Data about individuals cannot be shared between agencies without consent.

So far, no action has been taken on the bill.

If you’re worried about ho laws and regulations like Senate Bill 177 could impact you, reach out to BABL AI. Their team of Audit Experts is ready to offer valuable insight while addressing any questions or concerns you may have.