Synthetic media

Audio, visual, or audiovisual content that is generated, entirely or in part, by artificial intelligence or other digital technology and that materially alters or fabricates a person's appearance, speech, or conduct. The term captures AI-produced images, audio, and video used to depict individuals or events, as addressed by the statute.

Media (including image, video, and audio) that is created or manipulated by generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to produce or alter content, such that the output may portray events, statements, or appearances that did not actually occur.

Audio or video recordings of an individual's speech or conduct created using generative adversarial networks or other digital technologies that (i) would reasonably appear to depict a real event, action, or speech that did not occur, and (ii) provide a fundamentally different impression than the unaltered original recording. The term is the statutory trigger for the law's disclosure rules and civil remedies when used in electioneering communications.

Audio, video, or image content that is generated or manipulated by AI to falsely depict individuals or events; within the Act this term is used primarily to describe deceptive content in political contexts and is subject to disclosure requirements and prohibitions when used in elections. The definition underpins election-integrity remedies and bans on unreported deceptive synthetic political media.

For the purposes of this act, 'synthetic media' or 'fabricated photographic, videographic, or audio record' means a still image, video or audio recording that exhibits a high level of authenticity or convincing appearance visually or audibly indistinguishable from reality, is manipulated or entirely artificial (including AI-based deepfakes, GPTs, stable diffusion), and depicts a scenario that did not actually occur or was significantly altered.

An image, audio, or video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been technologically altered or generated by artificial intelligence, encompassing AI-manipulated content subject to the bill's disclosure and prohibition rules.

An image, audio recording, or video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been created or intentionally manipulated using digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video. The definition frames the media formats and manipulation methods covered by the statute.

Media assets—including images, audio, and video—that are created, altered, or synthesized using AI techniques (e.g., deepfakes or voice cloning), particularly where they replicate or fabricate a person's likeness, behavior, or speech, and which may raise consent and personality-rights concerns.

An image, audio recording, or video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated using artificial intelligence techniques or similar digital technology to produce a realistic but false depiction; the manipulation is such that a reasonable person would believe the depiction is of a real individual and the manipulated media yields a materially different understanding or impression than the unaltered original.

Any audiovisual content that is generated or substantially produced by algorithmic methods (for example, GANs or other generative models), including fully synthetic scenes, synthesized voices, or algorithmically altered footage. The Guide uses this term broadly to encompass both deepfakes and other AI‑generated or AI‑modified content.

Encompasses any media that has been artificially generated or significantly altered using advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to produce a realistic but inauthentic depiction of an individual or event. It forms the basis for 'digital impersonation'.

An audio recording or a video recording of an individual's speech or conduct that has been created through the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology in a manner to create a realistic but false audio or video that, to a reasonable individual, is of a real event, action, or speech that did not actually occur in reality; and provides a fundamentally different understanding or impression of the event, action, or speech than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the audio recording or video recording.

Synthetic media refers to any form of content, including images, video, or audio, that has been significantly altered or generated using artificial intelligence or similar advanced technologies. In the context of AB 73, it specifically targets content that depicts an individual's appearance, action, or speech in a materially deceptive way.

An image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct created or manipulated using generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technologies to produce a realistic but false depiction.

An image, audio, or video recording of an individual that has been created or altered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, or similar advanced technologies, so as to appear to be an authentic recording of the individual.

An image, audio recording, or video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of artificial intelligence techniques or similar digital technology in a manner to create a realistic but false image, audio recording, or video recording that produces: (A) A depiction that a reasonable person would believe is of a real individual in appearance, speech or conduct but that did not actually occur in reality; and (B) A materially different understanding or impression than a reasonable person would have from the unaltered, original version of the image, audio recording or video recording.

Synthetic media refers to any visual, audio, or video content that has been significantly generated, modified, or manipulated using artificial intelligence or similar advanced technologies. It is a broader term that includes deepfakes, focusing on the artificial nature of the content.

An image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video.

Audio or video content substantially produced by means of generative artificial intelligence.

Central to the regulation is the definition of 'synthetic media,' which refers to an audio or visual communication, or any portion thereof, that has been generated, manipulated, or altered by 'generative artificial intelligence'.

Synthetic media, often referred to as deepfakes, involves the intentional manipulation of an image, audio, or video recording using advanced digital technology to create a realistic but false depiction of a person's appearance, speech, or conduct. The manipulation must be significant enough to cause a reasonable person to fundamentally misunderstand the content compared to the unaltered media.

This refers to any form of media that has been created or significantly altered by artificial intelligence algorithms, rather than being a direct recording of reality. Deepfakes are a prominent example of synthetic media, which can be used to create realistic but fabricated content.