WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 1 REQUIREMENT TYPE
How Is This Bill Enforced
Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, "candidateCandidateFor purposes of this chapter, "candidate" also includes an incumbent or current officer holder.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(a)" also includes an incumbent or current officer holder.
(b) For purposes of this chapter, "creatorCreatorFor purposes of this chapter, "creator" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic media. The "creator" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(b)" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c). The "creatorCreatorFor purposes of this chapter, "creator" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic media. The "creator" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(b)" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.
(c) For purposes of this chapter, "synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c)" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.
(d) 1 Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, a creatorCreatorFor purposes of this chapter, "creator" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic media. The "creator" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(b) shall not, within ninety (90) days of any election at which a candidateCandidateFor purposes of this chapter, "candidate" also includes an incumbent or current officer holder.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(a) for elective office will appear on a ballot, distribute synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) that the creatorCreatorFor purposes of this chapter, "creator" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic media. The "creator" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(b) knows or should know is deceptive and fraudulent synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c), as defined in subsection (c) of this section.
(e)(1)–(3) 2 The prohibition in subsection (d) of this section does not apply if the creator of the image, audio recording or video recording includes a disclosure stating that the image has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence. (2) For visual media, the text of the disclosure shall appear in a size that is easily readable by the average viewer, and no smaller than the largest font size of any other text appearing in the visual media. If the visual media does not include any other text, the disclosure shall appear in a size that is easily readable by the average viewer. For visual media that is a video, the disclosure shall appear for the duration of the video. (3) If the media consists of audio only, and no visual disclosure is feasible, the disclosure shall be read in a clearly spoken manner, and in a speed and pitch that can be easily heard by the average listener, at the beginning of the audio, at the end of the audio, and, if the audio is greater than two (2) minutes in length, interspersed within the audio at intervals of not greater than two (2) minutes.
This section establishes the bill's core definitions and the central prohibition. It defines creator to cover persons, corporations, and PACs that deploy AI or digital technology to generate synthetic media — while expressly carving out the underlying AI provider or developer. Synthetic media is defined as AI-manipulated images, audio, or video that would mislead a reasonable person about a real individual's appearance, speech, or conduct.
The operative prohibition bars creators from distributing deceptive synthetic media depicting a candidate within 90 days of an election, subject to a safe harbor: the prohibition does not apply if the creator includes a disclosure that the media was manipulated or AI-generated. The statute specifies detailed formatting requirements for visual disclosures (minimum font size, duration for video) and audio-only disclosures (spoken at beginning, end, and at two-minute intervals for longer content).
(a) A candidateCandidateFor purposes of this chapter, "candidate" also includes an incumbent or current officer holder.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(a) whose appearance, actions, or speech are depicted through the use of synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) in violation of § 17-30-1 may seek injunctive or other equitable relief from the creatorCreatorFor purposes of this chapter, "creator" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic media. The "creator" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(b) prohibiting the distribution of audio or visual synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) in violation of this chapter.
(b) A candidateCandidateFor purposes of this chapter, "candidate" also includes an incumbent or current officer holder.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(a) whose appearance, actions, or speech are depicted using synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) may also bring an action for general or special damages against the creatorCreatorFor purposes of this chapter, "creator" means a person, corporation, political action committee or other entity that utilizes or deploys artificial intelligence or other digital technology to generate synthetic media. The "creator" does not include the provider or developer of the artificial intelligence of other digital technology.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(b) that generated the synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c). The court may also award a prevailing party reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. This subsection shall not be construed to limit or preclude a plaintiff from recovering under any other available remedy.
(c) In any civil action alleging a violation of this chapter, the plaintiff shall bear the burden of establishing the violation through clear and convincing evidence.
This section creates the bill's exclusive enforcement mechanism: a private right of action available only to a candidate depicted in violating synthetic media. The candidate may seek injunctive or equitable relief to halt distribution and may also bring a damages action for general or special damages against the creator. The court has discretion to award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to the prevailing party. The statute preserves all other available remedies.
Notably, the plaintiff bears the burden of proving the violation by clear and convincing evidence — a heightened standard above the typical preponderance standard in civil cases, likely reflecting First Amendment sensitivity around election-period speech restrictions.
(1) A radio or television broadcasting station, including cable or satellite television operator, programmer, or producer, that broadcasts synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) as prohibited by this chapter as part of a bona fide newscast, news interview, news documentary, or on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events, if the broadcast clearly acknowledges through content or a disclosure, in a manner that can be easily heard or read by the average listener or viewer, that the authenticity of the synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) is questionable;
(2) A radio or television broadcasting station, including a cable or satellite television operator, programmer, or producer, when it is paid to broadcast synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) and has made a good faith effort to establish that the depiction is not synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c);
(3) An Internet website, or a regularly published newspaper, magazine, or other periodical of general circulation, including an Internet or electronic publication, that routinely carries news and commentary of general interest, and that publishes synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) as prohibited by this chapter, if the publication clearly states that the synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) does not accurately represent the speech or conduct of the candidateCandidateFor purposes of this chapter, "candidate" also includes an incumbent or current officer holder.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(a);
(4) Synthetic mediaSynthetic mediaFor purposes of this chapter, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video that produces: (1) A depiction that, to a reasonable individual, appears to be a real individual in terms of appearance, action, or speech, but that did not occur in reality; and (2) A fundamentally different understanding or impression of the appearance, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording, or video recording.R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-1(c) that constitutes satire or parody; or
(5) An interactive computer service as defined in 47 USC 230.
This section enumerates five categories of actors and content exempt from the chapter's prohibition. Bona fide news operations — broadcasters, newspapers, and internet publications of general interest — are exempt provided they acknowledge the questionable authenticity of the synthetic media or clearly state it does not represent the candidate's actual speech or conduct. Broadcasters paid to air synthetic media are exempt if they made a good-faith effort to verify the content was not synthetic. Satire and parody are categorically exempt. Finally, interactive computer services as defined in 47 USC § 230 are exempt, insulating platforms from liability under this chapter.
The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any provision of this chapter or its application is held to be invalid, such holding shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision.
Standard severability clause providing that if any provision of the chapter is held invalid, the remaining provisions continue in effect.