Oklahoma ethics agency to consider regulating use of AI in political campaigns
Oklahoma ethics agency to consider regulating use of AI in political campaigns
Publish Date: 2026-06-06 07:00:00
Source Domain: kiowacountypress.net
A state ethics board will consider ways to require disclosure when artificial intelligence is used in Oklahoma’s political campaigns.
The Ethics Commission officially kickstarted their rulemaking process Friday. The agency will explore options for regulating the tool, such as defining AI, requiring disclaimers when it’s used, exemptions for parody or satire and addressing concerns about First Amendment rights or protected political speech.
Executive Director Lee Anne Bruce Boone said they would likely work “in tandem” with state lawmakers as there are parts of this issue that are outside the commission’s jurisdiction and need to be addressed in state law.
Most of the commission seemed to support some form of guardrails for using AI in political messaging, but it’s unclear what final rules will look like yet.
The use of generative AI in Oklahoma political ads have recently come under fire. Governor Kevin Stitt last month threatened to call a special session to ask lawmakers to regulate the use of the tool. Stitt’s statement was prompted by an AI-generated ad that falsely portrayed Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei hugging former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“I don’t want to speak to the entire commission by any means, but my comment is that I would like it to be as stringent, limiting and prohibitive as possible in terms of what’s drafted,” said Justin Meek, chair of the commission.
Sample language included in a presentation given at the commission’s Friday meeting for potential rules included requiring some form of disclaimer or disclosure when:
- Political messaging contains synthetic media;
- Deceptive media is published within 90 days of an election and is intended to harm a candidate or deceive voters;
- Synthetic media is intended to influence an election outcome or solicit campaign contributions; or
- Deepfakes used to impersonate candidates.
There should also be requirements for what disclosure looks like in terms…
