HARRISBURG – A new state law, in effect in September, will protect citizens from the dangers AI presents. State Rep. Rich Irvin (R-Franklin/Huntington) notes, while AI has benefits, dangers exist as well.
“I recently voted in support of Act 35 of 2025, a law that will classify deepfakes and other forms of digital impersonation as digital forgeries,” Irvin said. “Under the new law, if someone creates a digital representation of a real person without their consent and distributes it as genuine, with the intent to defraud or injure, they would be subject to penalties. The law targets harmful impersonations while safeguarding legitimate artistic, journalistic and expressive works.”
AI has made it increasingly easy to create convincing images, audio and video of others that are nearly indistinguishable from reality, Irvin noted. These digital forgeries have been used to commit financial scams, injure personal reputations and disrupt the political process. The scams target teenagers, senior citizens, small businesses and other victims.
