The Hill: House lawmakers introduce bill requiring federal agencies, officials to label AI content
A bipartisan pair of House lawmakers plan to introduce legislation Wednesday that would require federal agencies and officials to label any AI-generated content published in official government channels.
The Responsible and Ethical AI Labeling (REAL) Act, put forward by Reps. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas), would mandate a “clear, conspicuous, and prominently displayed” disclaimer notifying readers or viewers that content was created with or manipulated by AI.
“In an age of disinformation, Americans should be able to trust that information coming from official government sources is legitimate and based in reality,” Foster said in a statement.
“With the rapid proliferation of AI-generated content, there must be clear guidelines to ensure those at our federal agencies and in our nation’s highest office are not using AI in a way that could purposefully or inadvertently mislead the American public,” he continued.
The bill covers officers and employees at federal agencies, as well as the president and vice president.
It exempts content that is not meant to be publicly released or is created for classified purposes, as well as content that uses AI for “basic” graphic or visual elements or AI-enabled text drafting software for efficiency purposes.
“This legislation protects agencies’ ability to use AI internally while ensuring that anything released publicly is clearly and consistently labeled,” Sessions said in a statement. “It is a commonsense step to maintain trust and strengthen transparency in government communications.”
The bill comes as politicians have increasingly begun to use AI tools. Members of the Trump administration, including President Trump, have posted content that appears to have been created with the technology.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has also seemingly shared AI-generated content, while former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo used the technology in ads during his mayoral campaign this fall.