SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers advanced legislation this weekend requiring clear disclosure labels on AI-generated political advertising ahead of the November 2026 midterms. The measure targets deepfakes and manipulated media in electoral messaging.

The push follows mounting concern that AI-generated content is flooding political campaigns across the state. Earlier attempts to regulate such material faced legal challenges, including a federal injunction that blocked parts of a 2024 California law on First Amendment grounds. Legislators have since redrafted provisions to focus on disclosure rather than outright bans.

The Assembly's Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee is reviewing proposals that would require political committees and platforms to attach visible or audible labels to AI-altered audio, video, and images. Assembly member Marc Berman and other supporters argue that transparency requirements are more likely to survive court scrutiny than prohibitions.

Technology trade groups and civil liberties organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have raised concerns about enforcement and the risk of chilling protected speech. Campaign consultants warn that ambiguous definitions of "AI-generated" could ensnare routine editing and satire.

The legislation now heads toward further votes as the legislative session nears its late-August deadline, with California positioning itself as a testing ground for national rules on synthetic political media.