Consumer Reports supports the California AI Transparency Act, AB 853. This bill takes on a growing problem for consumers: differentiating between authentic and AI-generated content online.
AI voice and likeness cloning tools have unlocked scammers’ abilities to generate deepfake videos falsely depicting celebrities and political figures endorsing products, suggesting investments, and urging citizens to take action. Recent research suggests that consumers struggle to recognize deepfake videos as false, and also overestimate their own ability to detect deepfakes.
Last year, California enacted SB 942 to ensure provenance information will be embedded into AI-generated content that will allow users to identify its origins. AB 853 complements this effort by adding two additional tools to make provenance information more useful:
- At the point of content creation, AB 853 enables provenance markings on authentic, human-generated content by requiring that recording devices sold in California include the option to embed such information.
- At the point of content dissemination, the bill requires social media and online platforms to display the source of content shared on their platforms, leveraging provenance data.
Together with the foundation laid by SB 942, AB 853 empowers consumers to distinguish between AI-generated and human-created content. It equips individuals with the tools they need to make informed decisions about the trustworthiness of the media they encounter.
For more, see the attached letter.