Government Regulation of AI and Deepfakes

Written by: Caroline Kim

July 26, 2025

AI has grown prevalent and more competent within the short span of a few years, and has certainly found a space for itself in companies, schools, and day to day life. While AI has significantly improved productivity and has opened doors to many opportunities, it also raises some key points of concern. I see the duality in schools- AI is a great tool to ask questions and learn through, but also can pose a barrier to academic honesty. However, the specific area of concern I’d like to focus on today is in regards to AI regulation through federal policy, deepfakes, and the very legitimate threat it poses to democracy and national security. The question is how do we protect against specific concerns such as deepfakes? Deepfakes can lead to false information, fake narratives, defamation, and dishonesty. Through this blog post, I hope to spark more discussion on the topic of whether or not the federal government should put into place more policies to protect against deepfakes, and if so, what kind of policies? 

Even in the 2025 presidential election, AI and deepfakes were a rather prevalent point of concern, sparking debate on how it may impact the credibility of media content. For example, AI generated content can create false videos portraying various candidates in negative or positive ways; regardless it creates space for disinformation. According to the National Conference of State Legislature, “all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. have introduced legislation on this topic this year” with the “topic” being AI [1]. The NCLS also states that “Twenty-eight states and the Virgin Islands adopted or enacted over 75 new measures this year”, one being North Dakota’s law prohibiting individuals from utilizing AI to stalk/harass individuals [1]. In addition, the NCLS presents as of November 2024 that “lawmakers in at least 17 states enacted laws that specifically refer to online impersonation” with harmful intent [2]. I believe that these measures are both a necessary and effective way to protect American citizens, discourage harmfully intended deepfakes, and promote the integrity of individuals; much of the current legislation is in regards to explicit content, identity theft, child protection. For example, Louisiana has implemented a bill protecting against the unlawful dissemination or sale of images of another individual through AI [2]. 

According to Harris, Members of Congress have introduced hundreds of bills including the term artificial intelligence…fewer than 30 have been enacted as of May 2025. Of those, nearly half consisted of AI-focused provisions either in appropriations or national defense authorization legislation [3]. Some of these are framed to focus directly on AI, while others center around security and innovation. Regardless, federal involvement in regulating AI is crucial given how powerful of a tool it has become in such a short timeframe; this will promote the integrity of democracy, safety of individuals, and overall national security. 

Sources: 

1. NCLS. “Artificial Intelligence 2025 Legislation.” National Conference of State Legislatures, 24 Apr. 2025, www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation. Accessed 26 July 2025. 

2. NCSL. “Deceptive Audio or Visual Media (‘Deepfakes’) 2024 Legislation.” National Conference of State Legislature, 22 Nov. 2024, www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/deceptive-audio-or-visual-media-deepfakes-2024-legislation. Accessed 26 July 2025. 

3. Harris, Laurie. “Regulating Artificial Intelligence: U.S. and International Approaches and Considerations for Congress | Congress.Gov | Library of Congress.” Congress.Gov, 4 June 2025, www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48555. Accessed 26 July 2025.