Pennsylvania has a new law requiring disclosure of some AI-generated advertising, but it does not specifically set rules for political campaign ads. The gap is visible in the governor’s race, where an ad uses an artificial-intelligence version of Gov. Josh Shapiro without identifying it as synthetic until near the end.
WPSU reporter Sydney Roach reported Oct. 27 that Republican candidate Stacy Garrity’s campaign released a video depicting an AI-generated Shapiro discussing a sexual-harassment complaint involving one of the governor’s aides. The ad displayed no AI label at the start; its disclosure came about 45 seconds into the video.
A Shapiro campaign spokesperson called the ad “cheap” and “dishonest” in a statement to Axios, WPSU reported. Garrity told KDKA-TV that she stood by the ad. An Oct. 30 report by Philadelphia’s 6abc also described the video and the questions it raised about political advertising.
Pennsylvania’s new Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act, signed Oct. 22 as Act 99, addresses ads that use synthetic content to create a false impression about the nature, origin or authenticity of goods or services. It requires a clear disclosure when the law applies and takes effect Dec. 21.
The law’s text focuses on consumer perceptions of products and services; it does not expressly establish an AI disclosure rule for election ads. That distinction matters because viewers may encounter realistic candidate impersonations in campaign material before any disclaimer appears.
A separate proposal, House Bill 811, would create civil liability for fraudulent misrepresentation of candidates. The House passed it unanimously, 203-0, in June 2025, but the bill was referred to the Senate Communications and Technology Committee and had not advanced further in the General Assembly’s bill record as of Oct. 26.
Senate Bill 1332 would require notice when political advertisements use artificial intelligence. The Senate referred it to the State Government Committee on May 21; the bill record lists no vote or later action as of Oct. 28.
Federal broadcast rules also limit what stations can do with candidate ads. 6abc reported that broadcasters generally cannot censor or reject advertising paid for by a legally qualified candidate, even when the station objects to the message.
University of Delaware communications professor Lindsay Hoffman told 6abc that an obvious fake can help viewers recognize the technology, saying it “does alert people to the fact that these things do exist.” She also cautioned that laws often move more slowly than the technology.
With Pennsylvania’s election set for Nov. 3, neither of the state proposals has become law. The bills’ committee status leaves the question of political-ad disclosures for future legislative action.
Sources
WPSU: “Pa. law doesn’t regulate AI-generated candidates in election ads”
Pennsylvania General Assembly: Act 99 of 2026