Pennsylvania requires labels on AI-generated ads, imposes fines up to $3,000

Oct 24, 2026

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act into law on October 22, 2026, requiring clear disclosure labels on AI-generated advertisements and establishing civil fines up to $3,000 for deceptive practices. Taking effect on December 21, 2026, the legislation addresses growing concerns as spending on AI political ads in the 2026 midterm elections reached over $137 million, primarily driven by Republican campaigns.

Passage of Pennsylvania's Act 99

▪Pennsylvania State Senator Nick Pisciottano introduced the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act in June 2025.
▪Pennsylvania's Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act takes effect 60 days following its October 22, 2026 enactment, falling on December 21, 2026.
▪Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act, designated Act 99 of 2026, into law
▪The Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 806 by a 48 to 2 vote in June 2026, and the House passed it 163 to 40 on October 7, 2026.

Requirements of Pennsylvania's AI ad law

▪Pennsylvania's AI advertising disclosure requirement applies to eligible advertisements regardless of where they were produced if they are expected to run in Pennsylvania.
▪Pennsylvania's Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act requires advertisements using significantly modified or generated synthetic content to display clear disclosures in the same medium as the ad.
▪Pennsylvania's AI advertising disclosure law exempts text-only content, material that is evidently fictional, and content constituting parody, satire, commentary, or criticism.

Enforcement and penalties under act 99

▪Under Pennsylvania's Act 99 of 2026, courts can impose civil fines of up to $3,000 plus attorney fees and court costs for running deceptive AI-generated advertisements.
▪The Pennsylvania Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act authorizes the state attorney general or district attorneys to seek injunctions or file civil actions against non-compliant advertisers.

Growth in AI political campaign spending

▪In the 2024 U.S. election cycle, researchers at the Wesleyan Media Project identified less than $50,000 spent on AI-generated political campaign advertising.
▪Political campaigns and outside groups spent over $137 million on AI-generated or enhanced political ads during the 2026 U.S. midterm elections through October 11, 2026, according to the Wesleyan Media Project.

Sponsorship and disclosure of AI ads

▪Wesleyan Media Project research found that only 27% of identified AI political advertisements during the 2026 U.S. midterm cycle contained disclosure labels.
▪A CNN analysis found that over $16 million went to television political ads disclosing AI content through mid-September 2026, while at least $38 million was spent on unlabelled AI ads.
▪According to Wesleyan Media Project data, Republican candidates and allied groups sponsored about 81% of identified 2026 U.S. midterm AI political ads (accounting for 88% of spending), while Democratic candidates and committees sponsored approximately 12%.

State regulations on election deepfakes

▪The National Conference of State Legislatures counted 31 U.S. states with laws regulating election-related deepfakes as of late June 2026.
▪Federal judges struck down state laws regulating deceptive election deepfakes in Hawaii and California on constitutional and federal preemption grounds.