Google to make disclosure of AI-generated content mandatory for election advertisers

Alphabet Inc’s Google will make it mandatory for all election advertisers to add a clear and conspicuous disclosure starting mid-November when their ads contain AI generated content, the company said on Wednesday.

The policy would apply to image, video, and audio content, across its platforms, the company said in a blog post.

A boom in the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has given rise to opportunities for the use of AI tools to create content such as scripts for movies to even video, images and sound for advertisements.

Deepfakes created by AI algorithms threaten to blur the lines between fact and fiction, making it difficult for voters to distinguish the real from the fake.

Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant said last month that it had seen increasing use of AI to conduct manipulative information campaigns online in recent years, though the technology’s use in other digital intrusions had been limited so far.

Generative AI would enable groups with limited resources to produce higher quality content at scale, according to Mandiant.

Google has been under fire for misinformation on its platforms, and has been rolling out updates to its transparency measures as the United States will choose its next president in November next year.

Any synthetic content that is irrelevant to the claims made in the ad will be exempted from the disclosure requirements, the advertising and search engine giant said.