Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Federal Election Campaigns: Legal Background and Constitutional Considerations for Legislation

Federal campaign finance law does not specifically regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in political campaign advertising. As technology continues to evolve, concerns have grown regarding the use of AI-generated campaign ads and their potential to spread misinformation.

At the same time, there are questions about whether regulation of such ads would run afoul of the First Amendment. This CRS In Focus discusses provisions of federal campaign finance law that may be relevant should Congress consider regulating AI-generated campaign ads. It then discusses pivotal Supreme Court rulings on campaign finance law and constitutional considerations for possible legislation.