New Mexico
N.M. House panel wants disclaimers on AI and deepfakes in political campaigns – Source New Mexico
Election advertisements already have to include a notice about who paid for and approved them. A House panel on Tuesday advanced a bill that would require campaigns in New Mexico to disclose whenever they use artificial intelligence in their ads, and would make it a crime to use artificially-generated ads to intentionally deceive voters.
The House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted 7-2 to pass House Bill 182, which if signed into law, would amend the Campaign Reporting Act to require political campaigns to disclose whenever they include synthetic images, visuals and audio created by artificial intelligence in their advertising.
Co-sponsored by House Majority Leader Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque) and four other lawmakers, the bill would also criminalize using deepfakes created to damage individuals’ reputations and make the public question what’s real and fake.
“This bill requires that if such a technique is used, whether it’s audio, visual or written, that it be disclosed to the public, so the public knows what they’re seeing,” Chasey said. “It really is about transparency with artificial intelligence.”
The bill would not entirely prohibit using artificial intelligence in campaign ads, however. Candidates must disclose any AI used to create ads. If they don’t, the proposal would make it a misdemeanor to knowingly publish a deceptive ad within three months of an election with the intent of changing voters’ behavior.
The bill defines “materially deceptive media” as an image, video or audio depicting “an individual engaged in conduct or speech in which the depicted individual did not engage.”
If the same person is convicted a second time in five years, they could be guilty of a felony.
Melanie Moses, a professor with the University of New Mexico Department of Computer Science, said these technologies can now generate images, videos and audio “almost entirely indistinguishable from reality,” are freely available, and can have a profound impact on people’s ability to understand the difference between truth and fiction.
“There’s now a point where any individual — myself included — would really struggle to simply look at an image or listen to audio and know whether it was real or just made up,” Moses told the committee.
“The technology itself is very complex but this particular bill is dealing with something that’s actually quite simple: Do we want the voters to understand the difference between what a candidate, any of you, what any political person has actually said versus what is entirely fabricated using technology that is now available to just about everyone?” she said.
Lindsey Bachman, legislative and executive affairs director for the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office, said under the bill, her agency would investigate a specific advertisement when they receive a complaint, and then make either a civil or criminal referral.
“We’ve seen the use of this increase in the past two years in elections around the world,” Bachman said. She said the bill would “create needed transparency to build essential trust among New Mexico’s voters in the electoral process and make voters aware of the use of AI in the democratic process generally.”
The New Mexico Secretary of State is preparing a public education campaign for elections this year about mis- and disinformation, and provide tools voters can use to understand whether something is real or representative of a candidate’s actual circumstances, Bachman said.
Reps. William Rehm (R-Albuquerque) and John Block (R-Alamogordo) questioned Chasey about whether the proposal would apply in various circumstances. Rehm said a solution is needed but HB 182 is so broad it would require disclosure for something as small as using AI to tweak a logo’s background.
“I think almost any mailer that we generate would have to have some disclaimer that AI was used,” Rehm said.
Something like a simple logo couldn’t possibly require a disclaimer, according to Moses, the computer science professor.
Chasey’s chief of staff Alisa Lauer, who sits on an interstate working group on trying to define AI in the law, said AI disclaimers on parody and satire are excluded in the bill. The text in the bill on that exclusion states, “an advertisement that reasonably constitutes satire or parody.”
Government watchdog Common Cause New Mexico and consumer advocacy group Public Citizen support the bill.
Craig Holman, a lobbyist for Public Citizen, said deepfakes have been used to deceive voters at the federal, state and local levels around the U.S., while only five states require transparency around them. New Mexico is among 28 states considering joining them, he said.
“We can expect the 2024 election to be particularly problematic when it comes to these deepfakes, because there are very few regulations and very few disclosure requirements involved,” Holman said. “The 2024 election is going to be the first really serious deepfake election, and the federal government is very slow at acting, so it’s really up to the states to step up to the plate and address this.”
HB 182 heads next to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sens. Michael Padilla and Debra Sariñana have also introduced a bill which would create a work group to develop legislative proposals and policy recommendations for artificial intelligence systems. That bill has sat in the Senate Committees Committee since Jan. 22.
Grant’s Monday Night Forecast
A few evaporating rain showers are possible again Tuesday with warmer temperatures. Windier weather later this week will bring a high fire danger back to New Mexico.
It’s been a warm day with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms across central and northern New Mexico. Some of that rain has made it to the ground, while other showers have evaporated before reaching the surface. Temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s for most of the state. Showers will fade after sunset, with mostly clear skies overnight and mild temperatures.
Even warmer weather is on the way Tuesday with lighter winds. More areas will reach the 80s by the afternoon. A few spotty showers will develop again, especially near the mountains, with some of that rain evaporating before reaching the ground.
Winds pick up Wednesday afternoon, with gusts between 25 and 45 mph. This will begin another stretch of high fire danger across the state. The strongest winds arrive Thursday, with westerly gusts of 35 to 55 mph. That will expand the fire danger statewide. A dry cold front will move through Thursday as well, but temperatures will only drop slightly, ending up closer to average.
Breezy conditions continue Friday through the weekend as the jet stream pulls more moisture into New Mexico. That will bring increasing chances for rain and thunderstorms this weekend, with a few lingering into early next week.
New Mexico
Landlord AC ordinance, Rio Grande water levels, Spotty rain, New legislative office, New Mexico Motorfest
Monday’s Top Stories
Monday’s Five Facts
[1] ABQ City Councilor aims to bolster protections for renters amid unseasonable warmth – Albuquerque city councilor is looking to make sure city landlords are not only providing cooling systems, but also ensuring they actually work when they’re needed. City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn spearheaded an ordinance in December of 2024, requiring all Albuquerque rental properties to have a cooling system. Now, Fiebelkorn is taking it a step further, hoping to establish cooling system performance requirements. The ordinance is expected to be voted on in final action at Monday’s city council meeting.
[2] Rio Grande showing dry spots in Valencia County amid record-low snowpack – Portions of the Rio Grande are now seeing dry spots earlier than expected. Officials say the timing is not normal. In Valencia County, parts of the river are already running dry. Near the river crossing in Los Lunas, the river has open pockets. Further south, it is being reported as dry as well. There is a slight positive outlook for the monsoon season, with forecasters and officials predicting a strong season in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
[3] Very spotty rainfall, warmer, & mostly calm week – Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground. Temperatures will continue to increase through the middle of the week.
[4] NM representatives celebrate grand opening of new office with open house – A new state legislative office made its debut for representatives Eleanor Chavez and Yanira Gurrola. The new location is just one of the handful of new legislative offices now open across the state. They hosted a grand opening for the building that was open to the public. Representative Gurrola says it’s just one step towards modernizing the state’s legislature. The new office will allow residents to stay more connected to each representative.
[5] New Mexico Motorfest 2026 takes place in celebration of Route 66 Centennial – Another Route 66 celebration took place over the weekend and this one was all about cars. The New Mexico Motorfest happened at the Expo New Mexico racetrack. Over 300 vehicles from classic hot rods to lifted trucks were featured at the event. Some of the proceeds went to New Mexico veterans.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
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