Sen. Adam Schiff has introduced two bills aimed at increasing transparency in political advertising by regulating AI-generated campaign content and requiring influencers to disclose when they are paid to promote political candidates.

The proposals come as campaigns increasingly rely on social media personalities and artificial intelligence to reach voters. During California’s June primary, gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer’s campaign spent heavily on influencer marketing, while Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt used AI-generated videos to promote his campaign and criticize opponents.

One measure, known as the Promoting Authenticity with Influencer Disclaimers (PAID) Act, would require influencers to clearly disclose when they are being paid by political campaigns or committees. Supporters argue that voters deserve to know when political content is sponsored, just as they do with traditional campaign advertising.

“As more and more information in American life is shared through informal communicators like influencers, we need to recognize the risks of proliferating paid political speech,” Schiff said. “People deserve the same understanding of who is behind that post and if they are paid for it.”

A second bill would strengthen existing rules governing AI-generated campaign content by prohibiting the use of a candidate’s voice or likeness in deceptive political advertisements, regardless of whether the content is considered damaging. The legislation is intended to address the growing use of “deepfakes” and other AI-generated media that can mislead voters.

Supporters, including Rep. Ro Khanna, say the legislation is needed as AI becomes more sophisticated and more difficult for voters to distinguish from authentic content.

“AI will transform our lives and our society in many ways, but it can’t be used to mislead voters or undermine our democracy,” Khanna said.

With the November elections approaching, Schiff argues that stronger disclosure requirements and safeguards against deceptive AI advertising are necessary to preserve transparency and public trust in the electoral process.