Looking toward next year’s big Presidential election, social media giant Meta said political ads on Facebook and Instagram must disclose if they’re using artificial intelligence (AI).

Under the new policy, labels noting the use of AI will appear on users’ screens when they click on political ads. 

In September, Google announced an AI labeling policy for political ads that play on its platforms, including YouTube, similar to the one that Meta is implementing.

With the 2024 election now less than a year away, time is running short for U.S. lawmakers to try to enact regulations for the use of AI, as officials in Europe are attempting. 

Late last month the Biden Administration unveiled the first-ever executive order on AI, requiring new safety assessments, equity and civil rights guidance on the emerging technology.

Earlier this year, at the request of the advocacy group Public Citizen, the Federal Election Commission began moving forward on a process of potentially regulating AI-generated deepfakes in political ads. But even if the FEC did decide to ban AI in campaign ads, the restrictions wouldn’t cover all advertising. For instance, the law on fraudulent misrepresentation wouldn’t empower the FEC to require outside groups, like PACs, to disclose when they create fictional imagery using AI.

Meanwhile, members of the Senate have engaged in close-door meetings with big tech execs, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, to assess the risks of AI.

And last week, Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced a bill to establish guidelines aimed at mitigating the risks associated with AI. It would require the federal government to incorporate a framework set up by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to ensure that AI systems are employed “in a trustworthy manner.”

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