Key Points from Week of July 8, 2024:
*Deepfakes, Watermarks, and Lawsuits: Bipartisan AI Bill in the Spotlight
In an unexpected move, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) have teamed up to introduce the Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act, or simply the COPIED Act. This bill aims to combat the spread of deepfakes and protect content creators, particularly journalists.
The COPIED Act mandates the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop guidelines and standards for content origin information, watermarking, and synthetic content detection. This should prevent the unauthorized use of content and make it easier to identify deepfakes.
The bill also grants newspapers, artists, and other content owners the right to sue platforms that misuse their content without permission. Furthermore, providers of AI tools used for creative or journalistic work will be required to let content owners attach provenance information and prohibit its removal.
Meanwhile, another bipartisan bill, the Department of Energy (DOE) AI Act, has been proposed by Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL). This bill aims to advance the AI capabilities of the Department of Energy (DOE) for science and energy purposes. The DOE will select national labs to establish at least eight AI research and development centers, each receiving at least $30 million in funding annually.
While the COPIED Act and the DOE AI Act have recently made headlines, there has been a plethora of AI-related proposals in the 2025 legislative session. For instance, a ten-year moratorium on AI regulation was proposed in the U.S. Congress, but this does not directly mention either bill[1][3]. Additionally, the DOE has been involved in AI and nuclear energy initiatives, such as the hosting of AI data centers on federal land at DOE sites[2].
Rep. Nancy Mace has recently reintroduced the AI Training Extension Act of 2025, aiming to broaden AI training for federal employees. This bill does not directly relate to the COPIED Act or the DOE AI Act, but it demonstrates ongoing legislative efforts in the field of AI[5]. So, keep your eyes peeled for more updates on these intriguing bipartisan bills!
The COPIED Act, aimed at combating deepfakes and protecting content creators, mandates the development of guidelines for content origin information, watermarking, and synthetic content detection by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It also grants content owners the right to sue platforms misusing their content without permission.
In a separate development, Senators Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski have proposed the DOE AI Act, aiming to enhance the AI capabilities of the Department of Energy (DOE) for science and energy purposes. The DOE will establish several AI research and development centers with at least $30 million in annual funding each.
These bills, the COPIED Act and the DOE AI Act, are part of a broader trend of AI-related proposals in the 2025 legislative session, indicating ongoing policy-and-legislation discussions on artificial intelligence in the U.S. politics.
