Microsoft urges US lawmakers to crack down on deepfake behavior using artificial intelligence

Microsoft is calling on the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to combat deepfakes created using artificial intelligence, which are designed to interfere with elections or maliciously target individuals with manipulated images and audio. Microsoft President Brad Smith stated on Tuesday, "The tech industry and non-profit organizations have taken steps to address this issue, and it is clear that our laws also need to keep pace to combat deepfake fraud." He urged lawmakers to pass legislation on deepfake fraud. The company is also pushing Congress to label AI-generated content as synthetic content and to promote federal and state laws that penalize the production and dissemination of deepfakes with exploitative content. Smith stated that the goal is to defend elections, thwart fraud, and protect women and children from online harm. Congress is currently considering several proposed bills to combat the spread of deepfakes