德里克·范·奥登（威斯康星州共和党人）本周，他因发布的一封人工智能深度造假而受到一封停止信的打击，该造假错误地描绘了他的民主党对手表达了她的竞选团队表示她拒绝的立场。
Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) was hit with a cease-and-desist letter this week over an AI deepfake he posted falsely depicting his Democratic opponent voicing positions her campaign says she rejects. Why it matters:
为什么重要：越来越多的候选人和民选官员因竞选广告中的人工智能深度造假而面临法律投诉和威胁，范奥登是其中最新的一位。
Van Orden is the latest in a growing number of candidates and elected officials facing legal complaints and threats over AI deepfakes in campaign ads. Driving the news:
推动新闻：范奥登的民主党对手丽贝卡·库克（Rebecca Cooke）的律师周三向他发送了一封停止信，指控他“发布误导性人工智能生成的视频，错误地将言论归咎于库克”。”·这封信特别提到了范奥登在8月X日发表的一篇帖子，帖子显示人工智能生成的库克表示，她希望“利用尽可能多的腐败，为每个非法外国人提供免费医疗保健”--这是她从未说过的。
Attorneys for Rebecca Cooke, Van Orden's Democratic opponent, sent him a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday over his "pattern of posting misleading AI-generated videos that falsely attribute statements to Cooke." • The letter singled out an August X post by Van Orden showing an AI-generated Cooke saying she wants to "take advantage of as much corruption as possible and give every illegal alien free healthcare" — something she never said.
- 范奥登的团队没有回应Axios的置评请求，但他公开回应了库克，用人工智能生成的视频，视频中一只穿着美国民主社会主义者T恤的鸭子大喊：“停止并停止。"
• Van Orden's team didn't respond to Axios' request for comment, but he responded to Cooke publicly with an AI-generated video of a duck wearing a Democratic Socialists of America T-shirt, yelling, "cease and desist." The big picture:
大局：人工智能深度造假在本次选举周期中激增，而国会尚未制定管理其使用的联邦标准。
AI deepfakes have proliferated this election cycle, while Congress has yet to establish a federal standard governing their use.
- 一些活动使用了超现实的广告。德克萨斯州参议院共和党候选人肯·帕克斯顿综合了对手詹姆斯·塔拉里科的真实和不准确的言论。
• Some campaigns have used hyperrealistic ads. Texas Senate GOP nominee Ken Paxton combined real and inaccurate statements from his opponent, James Talarico.
- 在路易斯安那州的共和党参议院初选中，一名候选人被拍到乘坐巴士将无证移民送往投票站。·其他人则使用了更多卡通广告，候选人称这些广告旨在模仿。
• In Louisiana's Republican Senate primary, one candidate was shown busing undocumented immigrants to polling places. • Others have used more cartoonish ads that candidates have said are intended as parody.
- 根据全国州立法机构会议的数据，大约有31个州监管政治深度造假，其中至少有28个州要求披露人工智能生成的内容。
• About 31 states regulate political deepfakes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, including at least 28 that require disclosures for AI-generated content.
放大： 9月，德克萨斯州副州长丹·帕特里克（Dan Patrick）根据德克萨斯州深度伪造选举法面临民主党对手、州众议员维克基·古德温（Vikki Goodwin）的刑事起诉。
Zoom in: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) faced a criminal complaint from his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, in September under Texas' deepfake election law.
- 法律规定，如果人工智能广告旨在影响结果，则不得在选举后30天内播出。古德温认为，这一窗口应该意味着提前投票开始前30天。
• The law says AI-ads cannot be aired within 30 days of an election if the intent is to influence the outcome. Goodwin argues that the window should mean 30 days before the start of early voting.
- 帕特里克的竞选团队投放了人工智能生成的攻击广告，错误地描绘了古德温在一场足球比赛中穿着一件写着“税收”而不是“德克萨斯州”的衬衫。该活动后来删除了这些广告，一位发言人称该视频“明显是戏仿”。"
• Patrick's campaign ran AI-generated attack ads falsely depicting Goodwin at a football game wearing a shirt that read "taxes" instead of "Texas." The campaign later removed the ads, and a spokesperson called the video "obvious parody."
- 北卡罗来纳州参议员迈克尔·李（Michael Lee）（R）也于8月收到了民主党挑战者杰西卡·比克勒（Jessica Bichler）的一封停止信，原因是他使用人工智能生成的广告。北卡罗来纳州没有任何法律禁止在竞选广告中使用人工智能。
• North Carolina state Sen. Michael Lee (R) was also issued a cease-and-desist letter by his Democratic challenger, Jessica Bichler, in August over his use of AI-generated ads. North Carolina does not have any laws prohibiting the use of AI in campaign ads.
政治专家表示，人工智能深度造假削弱了人们对政治体系的信任，使选民更难了解候选人的实际立场。
Political experts say AI deepfakes erode trust in the political system, making it harder for voters to know what a candidate actually stands for.
- 加州大学欧文分校认识学家凯特琳·奥康纳（Cailin O ' Connor）此前告诉Axios，即使观众知道广告是假的，这些广告也可能有效。
• The ads can be effective even when viewers know they're fake, UC Irvine epistemologist Cailin O'Connor previously told Axios.
- 这些广告还可能加剧美国人对联邦政府、机构和新闻媒体信任度的更广泛下降。
• The ads could also compound broader declines in Americans' trust in the federal government, institutions and news media.
底线：这些法律挑战可能只是开始，因为目标候选人转向法院、执法部门和向警察发出警告信，联邦法规未受约束。
The bottom line: These legal challenges are likely just the beginning, as targeted candidates turn to the courts, law enforcement and warning letters to police what federal regulations leave unchecked.