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.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Seniors at Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center say broken air conditioning has left the gym above 80 degrees during peak summer heat.
Angi Gonzales Carver said she goes to the center almost every day and now worries the heat could cancel classes for seniors, adults and kids.
The city said three HVAC roof units at the center need replacement. The city said those units are 20 years old and crews have put in one portable cooler and two fans for now.
“I have a temperature measure, and it was 88 and that was without people,” said Angi Gonzales Carver.
Carver says the center recently posted a warning sign saying staff will cancel classes and activities if the gym gets hotter than 78 degrees.
“A lot of them have to sit down and they’re they’re fanning themselves,” said Carver.
The city considers all multigenerational centers cooling centers, including Manzano Mesa. The city says it plans to add two more portable units next week while it works to restore the air conditioning.
“I mean, we, as seniors, we deserve better,” said Carver.
The City’s statement
A city spokesperson gave the following statement regarding the HVAC situation:
“The City is carrying out a planned replacement of the three HVAC roof units at Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center, which are 20 years old. Portable cooling units support the gym and two additional portable units will be installed next week. All other areas of the facility remain fully air-conditioned and operational.”
Acres: 7,769 acres
Start Date: June 9, 2026
Location: 18 miles southeast of Quemado, NM
Personnel: 169
Containment: 100%
Cause: Lightning
Summary: Containment lines are holding, and much of the repair work is completed on the Bear Fire. The Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team will transfer command of the fire back to the Gila National Forest and a Type 4 Incident Commander on Wednesday morning. Firefighters will continue to patrol and secure the perimeter while repair is completed.
Remarking on the success of firefighters on the Bear Fire, Incident Commander Marcus Cornwell said, “The support from the State of New Mexico Forestry Division, local landowners, and the Village of Quemado were instrumental in helping suppress the fire. Providing firefighters access to private land and use of Quemado High School proved pivotal.”
This will be the last daily update provided by the Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team. Any future updates for the Bear Fire will come from the Gila National Forest.
Weather: Today’s high temperature will be in the mid 80s. Moisture moving in from the south will improve relative humidity and drop temperatures slightly. The forecast shows daily chances of thunderstorms through Friday.
Safety: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place through this evening. If you fly, we can’t! The Gila National Forest enacted an Area Closure Order for the Bear Fire.
Evacuations: Catron County Emergency Management lifted SET status for residences within zones 2, 3 and 4 on Thursday, June 18th. For more information about the change in evacuation status, visit Catron County Emergency Management.
Smoke: Smoke may be visible in and around surrounding communities. Air quality will vary based on fire activity, weather, and wind patterns. Residents should reduce prolonged outdoor activity when smoke is present and check the Air Quality Index before recreating or working outdoors. Sensitive groups should take extra precautions to limit smoke exposure. For real-time smoke conditions, visit https://fire.airnow.gov.
Fire Restrictions: The Gila National Forest is in Stage 1 Fire Restrictions due to long term severe drought in the Gila region, increased tree mortality across the forest, and forecasted hotter, drier weather conditions. Stage 1 Fire Restrictions limit campfires on forest land to designated recreation sites and campgrounds with constructed metal fire rings. Open burning is also prohibited in the unincorporated area of Catron County and in Catron County Fire District 30.
Public Information: 2026.bear@firenet.gov
Incident Information:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GilaNForest
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/nmgnf-bear-fire
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Southwest Albuquerque neighbors claim a woman targeted them for at least a year, throwing items into their yard, and leading one family to spend more than $1,000 on security.
Neighbors said they kept contacting Albuquerque police, the city and the state after the most recent encounter left a father with a cut on his face. They said Sunday’s arrest helped some, but they still do not feel safe.
Richard and Lindsey Boldin said they have dealt with harassment from Andrea Padilla-Garcia for at least a year. They said she has thrown broken glass, frozen food, a MacBook, metal poles and wood over their fence and dumped nail polish on it.
They said the incident with the glass resulted in a cut to Richard’s face.
“She can’t come back to where she lives. I won’t feel safe. There’s no way,” Lindsey Boldin said.
The Boldins said they spent more than a thousand dollars on security cameras, motion-sensor lights and other steps to protect their property. They also blocked the view into their yard, but said they still do not feel safe.
“It hurts the whole family. We’ve got to watch animals going outside. We have to watch when we go outside. You know, when can we go outside?” Richard Boldin said. “She kept coming to the fence and attacking the fence and shaking it and yelling at the fence at the children, you know, giving them inappropriate, you know, telling them inappropriate things.”
Neighbor Lawrence Lovato said he has lived in the neighborhood for about a year and what he has seen stands out from anything he has experienced before. He said he has called police multiple times.
“Never in my life have I have I seen something as horrible that I’ve seen here,” Lawrence Lovato said.
Lovato said he worries about his own safety and his daughter’s safety. Neighbors said they plan to keep looking out for one another and hope the latest arrest leads to help for Padilla-Garcia. She remains in jail and faced charges of battery and aggravated assault.
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