Israel Mandates Clear Labeling of AI-Generated Election Campaign Content Ahead of Knesset Vote

With 93 days remaining until the 26th Knesset elections, a new law came into effect in Israel requiring all election campaign materials created or edited using artificial intelligence to carry a clear and prominent label. Initiated by the Central Elections Committee, the regulation aims to address technological challenges that could undermine election integrity and public trust. According to the law, any election advertisement containing visual or audio content generated wholly or partly by digital means, including AI, or significantly altered digitally, must display a disclosure symbol.

The disclosure must meet strict presentation standards set by Supreme Court Justice and Central Elections Committee Chair Noam Solberg: printed or image content must show the label at a minimum height of 5% of the content with high contrast and readable font; videos must display the disclosure throughout their duration; and audio content must include the disclosure at both the beginning and end. Failure to comply may be considered a legal violation, with responsibility resting on the publisher. These rules apply to all content published from the day the law took effect.

In a morning interview on Kan 11's "Kalman Lieberman" program, Acting CEO of the Central Elections Committee, Attorney Din Livneh, emphasized the importance of the measure. He stated that the committee's role extends beyond ensuring election purity to maintaining public confidence in the results. Livneh noted that while voting in Israel is done by paper ballot, which cannot be tampered with, the digital realm poses risks of manipulation through fake news and AI-generated misinformation that could falsely suggest election fraud. The new law is part of broader efforts to safeguard electoral integrity in the digital age.