Deepfake Porn, Political Ads Push States to Curb Rampant AI Use

Images of former President Donald Trump hugging and kissing Dr. Anthony Fauci, his ex-chief medical adviser. Pornographic depictions of Hollywood actresses and internet influencers. A photo of an explosion at the Pentagon.

All were found to be “deepfakes,” highly realistic audio and visual content created with rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technology.

Those harmed by the digital forgeries—especially women featured in sexually explicit deepfakes without consent—have few options for legal recourse, and lawmakers across the country are now scrambling to fill that gap.

“An honestly presented pornographic deepfake was not necessarily a violation of any existing law,” said Matthew Kugler, ...