By State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper)
In recent years, the state of Indiana has worked hard to ensure our elections are fair and honest.
Nearly 20 years ago, Indiana enacted a law requiring voters to present a government-issued photo ID like a driver's license, a state-issued photo ID card, military ID or U.S. passport when they cast their ballot to ensure they are who they say they are.
This year, the Indiana General Assembly passed several new laws aimed to further protect our elections, including House Enrolled Act 1133.
House Enrolled Act 1133 requires disclaimers on political communications generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Under this law, if a political campaign attempts to influence an election using AI to create fake images, audio or video that are so realistic a reasonable person might not know they're fake, the creator must label the content so voters can determine what's real and what is fake.
Without these protections, anyone could use AI to digitally alter someone's image or voice to create lifelike videos and deceive voters.
This new law also allows candidates to bring a civil action against those who generate AI content in campaign-related materials without the use of a disclaimer.
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1133 into law on March 12, and the law went into effect upon his signature. This means any advertisement utilizing AI for the upcoming May primary election must include a disclaimer.
As always, feel free to contact my office directly with your questions and concerns by email at Senator.Messmer@iga.in.gov or by phone at 800-382-9467.
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State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) represents Senate District 48, which
includes Crawford, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
