Information technology AI in advertising: New York wants notice - headwind from Trump
Consumers in the state of New York are to be informed if AI-generated people appear in advertisements instead of real people - the first regional law of its kind in the USA provides for fines of between 1,000 and 5,000 dollars for violations.
12.12.2025, 07:49
SDA
The software is now so good that AI-generated people in images and videos are often almost indistinguishable from real people. If such digital figures are used to sell products, there must be transparency so that consumers are not misled, argue the advocates of the New York law.
Just this week, there was an uproar over an advertising clip featuring AI characters. McDonald's in the Netherlands withdrew a video generated entirely with software after it was criticized.
Trump does not want AI laws in federal states
However, it is unclear how long the New York requirement will last, as US President Donald Trump is now taking action against AI laws in individual states. He signed an executive order instructing the US government to analyze local laws. If they are not in line with the government's strategy on AI, the Department of Justice should take them to court.
The government's argument is that a patchwork of different regulations in 50 states will hinder progress in the development of artificial intelligence in the US. The tech industry has also made representations to Washington with this position. Meanwhile, Trump also relaxed the guardrails for AI introduced under his predecessor Joe Biden, which were intended to prevent damage from the new technology.
Only "ideologically neutral" AI in government agencies
In line with an executive order issued by Trump on artificial intelligence in July, the White House stipulates that AI must be "ideologically neutral" for use in government agencies. In recent years, Trump's right-wingers have repeatedly accused tech companies of discriminating against their views - even when it came to fact checks on demonstrably false statements, for example. They also extended some of this criticism to AI models.
