Artificial intelligence used for political purposes would require a disclaimer under a bill proposed in the North Dakota Legislature.

The House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing Friday on House Bill 1167 that would require a “prominent disclaimer” on any political communication or political advertisement created wholly or in part by artificial intelligence tools.

The disclaimer must read: “This content generated by artificial intelligence.”

Bill sponsor Rep. Jonathan Warrey, R-Casselton, said he expects AI use in political communications to become a much bigger issue in the future.

“There are other states taking action on this to provide some protections in place, and I think the overall theme is very sound,” Warrey said. 

He added the bill was crafted through consultation with the Secretary of State’s Office and creates a new provision under the Corrupt Practices section of North Dakota Century Code, making any violation punishable by a Class A misdemeanor.

Deputy Secretary of State Sandy McMerty testified in support of the bill. She said AI can be used to help create graphics, write a newsletter and other communication. 

However, if AI is used in political communication, she said the public should be informed. McMerty likened the new policy to statements politicians are already required to attach to their political ads that say who paid for the ad.

Terry Effertz, executive director of advocacy group TechND, testified against the bill, telling lawmakers the proposal is too broad.

“The bill, to be honest, is a reaction to hypothetical concerns, rather than a solution to documented harm,” Effertz said. “AI is evolving and hasty legislation in this area could inhibit legitimate uses while failing to address the actual risks.”

Because AI has become widely embedded in digital content and software, it could lead to “disclosure overload,” she said.

“Really what we need to focus on is the fact that deepfakes are the real threat here,” Effertz said.

A separate proposal, House Bill 1320, would outlaw the fraudulent use of deepfake videos and images in North Dakota. 

Deepfakes, or videos, images or recordings manipulated by generative AI, have caused concerns about spreading misinformation. The bill would make the creation, possession and release of deepfake videos and images, without the consent of the person featured, a Class A misdemeanor. 

Rep. Josh Christy, R-Fargo, the prime sponsor of the bill, said deepfakes are a threat to North Dakotans because it’s become more difficult to determine what is real and what is fake. 

He said the intent of his bill is to prevent someone from using someone else’s likeness without permission. The bill is not limited to deepfakes used for political purposes.

“If I’m able to take a video of you, upload it to a service, and then be able to represent you in a way that you don’t want, it’s not a good thing,” Christy said.

A public hearing on the bill is at 11 a.m. Monday in Room 327B at the Capitol. Christy said he plans to play a video of himself reading a portion of the Gettysburg Address in Russian, German and from a female avatar that he programmed though software.

He said he doesn’t want to cross any lines with satire or First Amendment concerns and hopes to get some feedback during the hearing.

“I don’t know where that line is,” he said. “Hopefully the Attorney General’s Office or others will come out for testimony on this and help clarify any amendments.”

The committee did not take immediate action on the bill related to disclosures of AI in political ads. Written testimony on the bill addressing deepfakes can be submitted online until 8 a.m. Monday.

MINOT, N.D. (KFYR) – A big North Dakota State Fair announcement. We now know who will headline the fair this year.

Jelly Roll is set to take the main stage in Minot on Sunday, July 20.

The Grammy-nominated artist also played at the state fair in 2023.

He just finished his sold-out arena tour, “Beautifully Broken” making 2024 his most successful year.

Single tickets for Jelly Roll will be 80 dollars, it’s the same price for reserved seating or standing-room spots.

Tickets go on sale on March 3.

You can get them online, in person, or at one of seven kiosks throughoUt the state.

The North Dakota State Fair will soon release the other artists joining the line-up with Jelly Roll and Bailey Zimmerman.

Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.

BROOKINGS — The Jackrabbits had their shootin’ boots on Thursday night against North Dakota, blowing past the Fighting Hawks 109-73 before a First Bank & Trust Arena crowd of 3,261 in one of the most impressive offensive performances in recent memory by South Dakota State.

The win marked the second most points they’ve ever scored against a Division I opponent (fans may remember the 139 they dropped on Savannah State in 2018), and their .656 field goal percentage is the fourth-best of the D1 era.

Joe Sayler had 25 points for the Jacks — all of them coming in the first half — while Isaac Lindsey had 13, Oscar Cluff and Kalen Garry 12 and Jaden Jackson 11, as all 11 active players on the roster scored.

But hot shooting and scoring exploits aside, the Jacks needed this win. An 0-2 road trip last week dropped them to 1-2 in league play, and while it’s far too early to really be worrying about the standings, SDSU wanted to end the losing streak before it became an actual streak.

“It was an important win, especially back on our home court,” said Lindsey, who was 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. “We knew this week in practice that this was a big game after a tough road trip and the coaches were on us but they stayed super positive with us. That helped us come to work with a good attitude, so we were gonna get back on track at home.”

Both teams started out hot, with SDSU leading 32-28 at the midpoint of a fast-paced first half. But the Hawks started to gradually cool off (or the Jacks played better defense), while SDSU just kept on ripping the nets.

The Jacks connected on 71 percent of their shots from the field before the break, and actually kept pushing that shooting percentage higher in the early stages of the second half before finally cooling off.

“We started off a little slow on the defensive end but we picked it up late in the half and when we play good defense our offense comes along,” said Sayler, who was 10-of-13 from the floor and hit 4-of-7 3-pointers. “We just trust each other to make the right play, shots went in tonight and that’s what we needed on our home floor.”

Matthew Mors had nine points, four rebounds and four assists, Owen Larson had six points, six rebounds and four assists and Damon Wilkinson had eight points and four rebounds.

Amar Kuljuhovic had 14 points to lead the Fighting Hawks (7-13, 1-4), while SDSU held UND’s leading scorer, Treysen Eaglestaff, to 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Mier Panoam had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Hawks shot 47 percent in the first half but a dreadful 21 percent (7-of-32) in the second.

It’s almost become a running gag how Jacks coach Eric Henderson always focuses on and talks about his team’s defense no matter how well they play on offense, but this game figured to put that to the test. One of the most efficient and entertaining offensive performances the Jacks have put together in Henderson’s tenure — would he still credit the defense first in his postgame remarks? Of course he did, and when teased about it, the coach offered no apologies.

“You know me,” Henderson said with a laugh. “Joe’s performance was pretty special. The pace that we played with and how we shared the basketball is as good as we’ve done all year.”

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.