New York Bill Goes Into Effect Requiring Advertisements To Be Transparent When AI-Generated Performers Are Featured

A first-of-its-kind AI bill is now in effect in New York.

Signed in December 2025, the Synthetic Advertisement Disclosure law requires advertisements to be transparent about using AI-generated synthetic performers. A press release states that there has been an increase in AI-generated performers across social media and digital advertising, and that without a disclosure, it will be harder for people to distinguish fact from fiction.

“In New York, we are setting the rules of the road instead of letting AI run the show,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in the press release. “Requiring simple, honest disclosure when an ad uses synthetic performers protects consumers, respects our creative workforce, and keeps New York at the forefront of responsible innovation.”

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, representing District 67 (includes Upper West Side and parts of Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan), commented, per the release:

“As companies rely on new marketing strategies to sell their products and services, consumers have a right to know if the person featured in those ads is real or fake. Our first-in-the-nation law will ensure that happens.”

SAG-AFTRA Chief Labor Policy Officer and New York Local Executive Director Rebecca Damon said in the release that she is grateful to the governor for placing parameters on generative AI. She said the bill reduces performance replacement and strengthens protections against consumer deception.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris said he believes film and television play an important role in the state’s economy, so he sees protecting workers in those industries as essential.

“As this legislation goes into effect, New York’s performers will be better protected from their likenesses being deceptively replaced by artificial intelligence, and we can hold accountable those who would take advantage of these tools to profit improperly at the expense of the real talent,” Gianaris explained, according to the press release.

DIGIT Office

In her efforts to see to it that AI is used for good, Governor Hochul is also working to launch an Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity, and Trust (DIGIT), which will prioritize digital safety and tech governance as well as regulate AI developers to sustain transparency efforts. Other initiatives include the SAFE for Kids Act and Child Data Protection Act as well as New York’s Distraction Free Learning Policy.

The post New York Bill Goes Into Effect Requiring Advertisements To Be Transparent When AI-Generated Performers Are Featured appeared first on AfroTech.

The post New York Bill Goes Into Effect Requiring Advertisements To Be Transparent When AI-Generated Performers Are Featured appeared first on AfroTech.