WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over federal elections, and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the bipartisan Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act to require the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to develop voluntary guidelines for election offices. These guidelines will address the use and risks of artificial intelligence (AI) in election administration, cybersecurity, information sharing about elections, and the spread of election-related disinformation.
“We know that AI is being used to spread disinformation about voting. To safeguard our free and fair elections and support hardworking election officials, comprehensive guidelines are needed to address AI’s impact on election administration,” said Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation will prepare state and local officials to address the risks that AI poses to our elections.”
“In an era when artificial intelligence technology is rapidly advancing, election administrators would benefit from comprehensive guidance in order to effectively counter potential threats to our election processes,” said Collins. “By requiring the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission to develop voluntary guidelines for state and local election officials nationwide on the use and risks of AI, this bipartisan legislation will help our elections officials to better prepare for and more quickly address such risks.”
Klobuchar has led efforts to address the threat of misleading AI-generated content and to increase transparency in our elections.
In February 2024, the EAC voted unanimously to assist state and local election officials in combating the spread of AI-generated disinformation about our elections by allowing election officials to use federal election funds to counter disinformation in our elections caused by artificial intelligence. This decision came after Klobuchar and Collins’ letter calling on the EAC to take action to address AI-generated disinformation in elections following the fake AI-generated robocalls using the president’s voice to tell people not to vote in New Hampshire.
Earlier this month, Klobuchar and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the bipartisan AI Transparency in Elections Act to require disclaimers on political ads with images, audio, or video that are substantially generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The bill also requires the Federal Election Commission to address violations of the legislation quickly.
In September 2023, Klobuchar and Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law; Chris Coons (D-DE), Chair of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property; and Collins, introduced the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, bipartisan legislation to ban the use of AI to generate materially deceptive content falsely depicting federal candidates to influence federal elections. This legislation has also been cosponsored by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE). Klobuchar also held a Senate Rules Committee hearing in September 2023 titled “AI and the Future of Elections,” highlighting the need to address the risks posed by AI to our democracy.
In February 2023, Klobuchar reintroduced the Honest Ads Act with U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Mark Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, to improve the transparency and accountability of online political advertising by requiring online political advertisements to adhere to the same disclaimer requirements as TV, radio, and print ads.
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