Pennsylvania Will Require Labels on AI-Generated Ads
The law, signed Thursday by Gov. Josh Shapiro, takes effect Dec. 21. Ads made or significantly changed by AI will need a disclosure in the same format as the ad itself.
Pennsylvania will require labels on ads made with artificial intelligence. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act on Thursday. It takes effect Dec. 21, 60 days after signing.
The law covers ads that have been significantly modified or generated by AI and that use synthetic content in a way that creates a false consumer perception about the nature, origin or authenticity of a product or service. The disclosure must say the ad contains content modified or generated using AI.
The label has to be clear and conspicuous. It must appear when the synthetic content is first presented, in the same medium as the ad. Video needs on-screen text long enough to read. Audio needs a spoken disclosure. Where technically feasible, the label must be permanent or extraordinarily difficult to remove.
The rule applies no matter where the ad was made. A commercial cut in California and aired in Philadelphia carries the same obligation. That reach is why advertisers expect labels to show up in other states too, on any spot also expected to air in Pennsylvania.
The bill is Senate Bill 806, now Act 99 of 2026. It passed the Senate 48-2 on June 10 and the House 163-40 on Oct. 7. State Sen. Nick Pisciottano introduced it.
Enforcement falls to the state attorney general and district attorneys. They can seek injunctions and civil penalties of up to $3,000 per case, plus legal fees and costs. There is no private right of action.
Pennsylvania is among the first states to require disclosures on AI content. Other states have taken up similar bills as generative AI tools spread through advertising.
The law leaves open questions. It does not define what counts as “significantly modified” or what makes a false consumer perception. Parody, satire, commentary and criticism are exempt, as is content that is evidently fictional. An analysis by law firm Loeb & Loeb reads the law as exempting text-only content. How regulators and courts read those lines will decide which ads actually need a label.
Pisciottano’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
