AI Transparency in Elections Act (H.R.9922) — amending the Federal Election Campaign Act to require a statement on political ads substantially generated by AI, spoken for at least four seconds
A House bill amending section 318 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require political advertising containing images, audio or video substantially generated by AI to say so. The requirements that count as clear and conspicuous are written out by format, with audio advertising given a minimum of four seconds.
Bill overview (primary data)
- Bill numberH.R. 9922
- TypeHouse Bill
- Congress119th Congress
- Latest actionReferred to the House Committee on House Administration.（2026-07-23）
Key points
- Amends section 318 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require a statement on political ads substantially generated by AI.
- Minor alterations such as colour editing, cropping and resizing are excluded, conditioned on the audience understanding not fundamentally changing.
- Audio advertising must carry a spoken statement of not fewer than four seconds naming the payer, at the beginning or end.
- A communication invoking the likeness or voice of a candidate is treated as referring to that candidate.
- Of the 50 bills not yet covered, 12 amend an existing statute and three of those target the Federal Election Campaign Act, the most of any.
- Clear and conspicuous is written as numbers by format, with audio requiring at least four seconds at the beginning or end.
1Substantially generated is separated from minor alteration
Covering every ad AI touched would drag in an image whose colours were merely adjusted. The bill draws a line: what is covered is an image, audio or video created or materially altered using generative AI, while minor alterations such as colour editing, cropping and resizing are excluded.
The exclusion carries a condition. It must not create a fundamentally different understanding than a reasonable person would take from the unaltered version. The test is written around whether the audience understanding changed rather than around the kind of work performed.
2The manner of disclosure is written out by format, in numbers
What counts as clear and conspicuous is set out format by format. For an image, letters at least as large as the majority of the text, permanently affixed. For audio, spoken at the beginning or end for not fewer than four seconds, in set wording naming the payer and stating that artificial intelligence was used to generate the contents. For video, the written form displayed throughout alongside the audible form.
Clear and conspicuous on its own settles nothing about how far is far enough. Writing in sizes and seconds gives both the party complying and the party enforcing something to measure against.
3Three bills reach for the same statute
Of the 114 AI-related bills this site holds as of 2026-09-01, among the 50 not yet covered, 12 amend an existing statute. Three of those amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, more than any other target.
The provision treating a communication that invokes the likeness or voice of a candidate as referring to that candidate also matters. Where generated material takes on someone's appearance or voice, no naming is needed for coverage to attach. That several bills gather on the narrow ground of election advertising suggests the area lends itself to concrete legislating.
4Writing "clear and conspicuous" as numbers
Clear and conspicuous, as a phrase, does not settle how much is enough. This bill writes the requirement separately for each format.
| Format | What counts as clear and conspicuous |
|---|---|
| Image | Type at least as large as the majority of the text, affixed permanently |
| Audio | Spoken clearly for at least four seconds at the beginning or the end |
| Video | A written display throughout, together with the audio statement |
Writing in the numbers and the position gives both those complying and those enforcing a standard to judge against. The wording is fixed too, naming the payer and stating that artificial intelligence was used to generate the content of the communication.
Images, audio and video created or substantially altered by generative AI are covered, while minor alterations such as colour adjustment, cropping and resizing are excluded — subject to the condition that a reasonable person's understanding is not fundamentally changed.
Why it matters
A disclosure requirement with a vague standard leaves neither the complying party nor the enforcing one able to act. Writing letter sizes and seconds into the text reads as an attempt to cut that vagueness. For anyone handling advertising it creates a need to record which steps amounted to substantial generation by AI.
FAQ
Does any use of AI trigger the statement?
What must an audio ad say?
Is a communication outside scope if no candidate is named?
Sources (primary)
Source: Congress.gov (Library of Congress; U.S. legislative materials, public domain). Links go to the official site.
- Congress.gov (bill page, original)
- H.R. 9922（119th Congress）