Committee hears testimony on S.23 requiring disclosure of synthetic media in election materials

The House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs heard testimony on S.23, a bill that would require a mandatory disclosure when synthetic or AI‑manipulated media is used in campaign materials within 90 days of an election.

Secretary of State Elections Director Sean Chan said the office supports “the disclosure, not the prohibition” in S.23 and highlighted the bill’s disclosure language and enforcement provisions. Chan read the bill’s required statement for campaign materials as, quote, “the media has been created or intentionally manipulated by digital technology or artificial intelligence,” end quote, and said the bill creates a path for affected candidates to seek injunctive or other equitable relief. He noted fines would scale with intent or impact and be higher if the media was intended to incite violence.

The disclosure requirement matters, witnesses said, because synthetic…