Oregon’s first AI bills head for Gov. Kotek’s desk

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Oregon’s first bills dealing with artificial intelligence are on their way to Gov. Tina Kotek.

Senate Bill 1571 won final approval Wednesday, March 6, on a Senate vote of 24-5. The House cleared an amended version the previous day, 52-3. It requires disclosure of artificial intelligence, described as synthetic media, when used in campaign advertising and other communications.

The bill’s chief sponsor was Sen. Aaron Woods, a Democrat from Wilsonville and a former technology executive.

House Bill 4153 also won final legislative approval Wednesday on a Senate vote of 26-3. The House passed it 52-0 earlier in the week. Sponsored by Rep, Daniel Nguyen, D-Lake Oswego, it sets up a 14-member task force to look at its ramifications. A task force includes members other than legislators.

Disclosure of AI use would be enforced by the Oregon secretary of state, who is the state’s chief elections officer. If the secretary, a candidate for the job, or a supporting or opposing political committee were the subject of a complaint, the attorney general would be empowered to investigate it.

The AI disclosure bill got political momentum prior to the New Hampshire presidential primary Jan. 23, when a voice mimicking President Joe Biden urged voters not to cast ballots but await the Nov. 5 general election. Biden won the Democratic primary despite his name not being on the ballot, and his campaign said it did not initiate the robocalls to voters. A Democratic political operative, Steve Kramer, later identified himself as the originator of the robocalls.

Read more at PortlandTribune.com.

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