Gov. Newsom vows to support bills that crack down on deepfake election content

Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X, formally Twitter, that he wants to sign legislation that would crack down on the use of artificial intelligence in campaign ads after Elon Musk reposted an altered ad of Vice President Kamala Harris.

On Monday, Newsom reposted a news headline that said Musk reposted an altered campaign ad of Harris, which appears to use an AI-generated voiceover from her.

“Manipulating a voice in an ‘ad’ like this one should be illegal,” Newsom wrote. “I’ll be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is.”

Musk responded to Newsom’s post by saying “parody is legal in America.”

The latest disagreement between Newsom and Musk comes after Musk announced he would move the headquarters of X and SpaceX out of California.

The move was in response to Newsom signing a bill that bars California school districts from notifying parents of a child’s gender identification change.

Newsom’s spokesperson Izzy Gardon didn’t immediately specify which legislation Newsom was referring to but told the Sacramento Bee that Newsom’s administration is “working with the Legislature to ensure this issue is addressed in legislation already going through the legislative process.”

Several bills currently in play, such as AB 2839 and AB 2655, aim to address altered campaign materials on social media.

The final stretch of the current legislative session ends Aug. 31.