Pennsylvania law will require labels on misleading AI-generated ads from 21 December

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act into law on Thursday 22 October, requiring labels on advertising that uses AI-generated or significantly AI-altered content in a way that creates a false impression of a product or service, The Verge reported. The law, Act 99 of 2026, began as Senate Bill 806, introduced by State Senator Nick Pisciottano.

Under the law, the label must be clear and conspicuous, appear in the same medium as the ad and, where feasible, be hard to remove, according to the law firm Loeb & Loeb’s summary of the act. Content that is parody, satire, commentary or criticism, or that is “evidently fictional”, is exempt. Loeb & Loeb said ads limited to text are also exempt, while The Verge’s report listed text among the covered formats.

The disclosure must say the ad “contains content that was modified or generated using artificial intelligence”, Loeb & Loeb said. Only the state attorney general and district attorneys can enforce the law, and a court can impose a fine of up to $3,000 plus legal costs; there is no right for private individuals to sue, the firm said. The act takes effect 60 days after signing, on 21 December 2026.

On the Senate floor, Pisciottano said Pennsylvanians “deserve to know whether the ad they are hearing or viewing was created by a person or generated by AI”, according to Loeb & Loeb, which said the enacted text requires disclosure only when the content creates a false consumer perception.

The Verge reported that the requirement applies wherever an ad was made, so ads produced elsewhere that run in Pennsylvania would also need labels. It said terms such as “significantly modified” and “evidently fictional” are not defined in detail. Pisciottano’s office did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.