Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has announced that it will require political advertisers worldwide to disclose the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their ads starting next year. This move is part of Meta’s broader effort to combat “deepfakes” and digitally altered misleading content.
The new policy is set to go into effect in advance of the 2024 US election and other future elections globally. It applies to any political or social issue advertisement on Facebook or Instagram that utilizes digital tools to create non-existent images of people, distorts the actual nature of events, or portrays individuals as saying or doing things they did not.
This step aims to enhance transparency and combat the spread of misleading content in the political advertising space.
Meta has introduced new rules that require political advertisers worldwide to disclose the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their ads starting next year. However, minor uses of AI that have no significant impact on the ad’s content, such as image cropping or color correction, are exempt from this rule.
This announcement follows Meta’s recent decision to restrict political advertisers from using its AI advertising tools that can generate backgrounds, suggest marketing text, or provide music for videos.
Microsoft has also taken steps in this direction by announcing a tool that will be provided to political campaigns for free starting in the spring. This tool applies a “watermark” to campaign content to assure viewers of its authenticity.
The move to regulate the use of AI in political advertising is a response to concerns about the potential risks of AI-generated content in political discourse, including the spread of disinformation. It also represents a rare instance of Meta taking steps to regulate political speech on its platform, indicating potential limits to the company’s stance on political content and AI.
Meta has stated that failure to disclose the use of AI in political ads may result in the rejection of the ad and penalties against the advertiser.
