Democratic lawmakers urge FEC to crack down on AI deepfakes over Grok backlash

A group of House Democrats urged the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) on Tuesday to crack down on artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes, amid backlash over the social media platform X's chatbot Grok. 

X released the chatbot Grok-2 earlier this month with limited guardrails. The platform, and other AI platforms, have faced backlash after the AI circulated fake images of presidential candidates, including former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, online. 

The lawmakers, led by Democratic Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown, asked the FEC in a letter if the AI deepfakes are considered “fraudulent misrepresentation," and urged them to propose new rules on the use of AI deepfakes in political campaigns. 

Artificial intelligence can now create fake images, audio, and videos, and electronically alter voices.

“The proliferation of deep-fake AI technology has the potential to severely misinform voters, causing confusion and disseminating dangerous falsehoods,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is critical for our democracy that this be promptly addressed, noting the degree to which Grok-2 has already been used to distribute fake content regarding the 2024 presidential election.”

Republican FEC chair Sean Cooksey rejected the lawmakers' criticism and demands, asserting that an Americans' rights to free speech do not "disappear when we use an AI image generator to express ourselves.”

“While the FEC will continue to enforce the campaign-finance laws on the books to promote transparency and accountability, I oppose any effort to suppress political speech by regulating a technology that few agencies even understand,” Cooksey told The Hill. “Our elections should be decided at the ballot box after a free exchange of arguments and ideas.”

Democratic Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington D.C., Greg Landsman of Ohio, Dan Goldman of New York, Nikema Williams of Georgia, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, and Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island also signed the letter.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.