When is a political ad disclosure legally required?

Increasingly, whenever content is AI-generated or materially AI-altered. The EU AI Act Article 50 requires marking synthetic and deepfake content; UK Electoral Commission guidance and proposed US FEC rules push the same way. Requirements vary, so always confirm against current local law.

What is the difference between AI-generated and AI-altered?

AI-generated means the content was created by AI from scratch; AI-altered means real footage or audio was meaningfully changed by AI. Both typically require disclosure, but the wording differs — "altered" must make clear what was changed.

Does the disclosure need to be visible or can it be in metadata?

For political content, regulators expect a clear, human-perceivable disclosure — on-screen text, an audio statement, or a visible label — not just hidden metadata. Metadata marking (like C2PA) is complementary, not a substitute.

Is this legal advice?

No. It generates template disclosures aligned to published guidance to help you start, but political advertising law is fast-moving and jurisdiction-specific. Have your compliance or legal team confirm before publishing.

Do these rules apply to organic posts or only paid ads?

Coverage is expanding. Paid political advertising is the clearest case, but synthetic-media labelling under the EU AI Act applies broadly to deepfakes regardless of payment. Treat any AI-altered political content as in scope and disclose.

AI Political Content Disclosure Generator

AI political content disclosure generator

Using AI in political content now comes with disclosure duties that differ by country and format. The EU AI Act’s Article 50 requires marking synthetic and deepfake content; the UK Electoral Commission and proposed US FEC rules move in the same direction. This generator produces template disclosure text and placement guidance tailored to your jurisdiction, ad format, and whether the content is fully AI-generated or AI-altered.

How it works

You pick the jurisdiction, the ad format (video, audio, image, or text), and how AI was used. The tool selects the appropriate regime — EU AI Act Article 50, UK guidance, US FEC-style, or a conservative combined disclosure for multi-market campaigns — and assembles disclosure language plus placement instructions specific to that format. Video gets persistent on-screen wording, audio gets a spoken statement, images get a visible label, and text gets a prepended notice. “AI-altered” disclosures additionally prompt you to state what was changed. The result is copyable text for the creative and its compliance record.

Tips and notes

Make it human-perceivable. Regulators want a visible or audible disclosure; metadata marking like C2PA is complementary, not a replacement.
Say what was altered. For modified real footage, vague labels aren’t enough — name the change.
Use the combined disclosure for cross-border campaigns. It satisfies the strictest applicable rule rather than the weakest.
Confirm with counsel. This is a starting template; political-ad law is changing fast and varies by jurisdiction.