Gavin Newsom threatens Elon Musk with legal action for sharing memes and deepfakes that 'hurt democracy'

Gavin Newsom continued his feud with Elon Musk Thursday, threatening to writer the Tesla CEO implicit his usage of memes and deepfakes that helium claims 'hurt democracy'. 

Musk accused Newsom of making parody illegal aft the politician signed 3 bills to ace down connected the usage of AI to make fake images successful videos and governmental ads.

Newsom denied the thought that helium was stopping parodies but attempted to laic down the instrumentality with the CEO of X, whom helium referred to arsenic a 'conservative blogger'.  

'I deliberation Mr. Musk has missed the punchline, parody is inactive live and good successful California but deepfakes and manipulation of elections? That hurts ideology and the integrity of the strategy and spot and we judge successful information and spot and we judge this instrumentality is dependable and volition beryllium upheld successful court'.

When asked if helium would instrumentality ineligible enactment against Musk oregon different conservatives, helium seemed unwilling to regularisation thing out. 

'The instrumentality asserts that galore tin question injunction relief. I conscionable signed the instrumentality and I haven't had a accidental to reappraisal [any] circumstantial suit involving a blimpish blogger', an evident notation to Musk. 

Video of Newsom declaring the anticipation of ineligible enactment against Musk made its mode to the SpaceX chief, who simply responded connected societal media: 'Amazing'. 

Newsom signed America's toughest instrumentality banning governmental 'deepfakes' connected Tuesday arsenic helium stood by his July vow to marque integer manipulation of election contented illegal.

It comes aft Newsom publically rebuked X-owner Elon Musk for sharing a station featuring altered images of Vice President and Democratic statesmanlike nominee Kamala Harris. 

The caller law, acceptable to instrumentality effect immediately, makes it amerciable to make and people deepfakes related to elections 120 days earlier Election Day and 60 days thereafter.

It besides allows courts to halt organisation of the materials and enforce civilian penalties.

'Safeguarding the integrity of elections is indispensable to democracy, and it's captious that we guarantee AI is not deployed to undermine the public's spot done disinformation - particularly successful today's fraught governmental climate,' Newsom said successful a statement.

'These measures volition assistance to combat the harmful usage of deepfakes successful governmental ads and different content, 1 of respective areas successful which the authorities is being proactive to foster transparent and trustworthy AI.'

On July 29, Newsom took to X, formerly Twitter, vowing: 'Manipulating a dependable successful an 'ad' similar this 1 should beryllium illegal. I'll beryllium signing a measure successful a substance of weeks to marque definite it is'.

Yesterday helium shared the update, saying: 'I conscionable signed a measure to marque this amerciable successful the authorities of California. 

'You tin nary longer knowingly administer an advertisement oregon different predetermination communications that incorporate materially deceptive contented -- including deepfakes'.

But Elon Musk fired backmost astatine the governor, posting a connection connected the level that read: 'You're not gonna judge this, but @GavinNewsom conscionable announced that helium signed a LAW to marque parody illegal, based connected this video,' alongside 2 laughing emojis.

The video successful question was the altered Kamala Harris run advertisement - a deepfake video utilizing a manipulation of Harris' voice.

Musk besides shared a station saying 'They are ACTUALLY trying to marque posting memes ilegal. Vote them out,' successful notation to the UK Labour enactment and the US Democrats.   

Large societal media platforms are required to region deceptive worldly nether a first-in-the-nation instrumentality acceptable to beryllium enacted adjacent year. 

But Newsom besides signed a measure requiring governmental campaigns to publically disclose if they are moving ads with materials altered by AI.

The politician signed the bills to large applause during a speech with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff astatine an lawsuit hosted the large bundle institution during its yearly league successful San Francisco.

The caller laws reaffirm California's presumption arsenic a person successful regulating AI successful the US, particularly successful combating predetermination deepfakes. 

The authorities was the archetypal successful the US to prohibition manipulated videos and pictures related to elections successful 2019. 

Measures successful exertion and AI projected by California lawmakers person been utilized arsenic blueprints for legislators crossed the country, manufacture experts said.

With AI supercharging the menace of predetermination disinformation worldwide, lawmakers crossed the state person raced to code the contented implicit concerns the manipulated materials could erode the public's spot successful what they spot and hear.

'With less than 50 days until the wide election, determination is an urgent request to support against misleading, digitally-altered contented that tin interfere with the election,' Assembly subordinate Gail Pellerin, writer of the instrumentality banning predetermination deepfakes, said successful a statement. 

'California is taking a basal against the manipulative usage of deepfake exertion to deceive voters.'

The caller California laws travel the aforesaid time arsenic members of Congress unveiled national authorities aiming to halt predetermination deepfakes. 

The measure would springiness the Federal Election Commission the powerfulness to modulate the usage of AI successful elections successful the aforesaid mode it has regulated different governmental misrepresentation for decades. 

The FEC has started to see specified regulations aft outlawing AI-generated robocalls aimed to discourage voters successful February.

Newsom has touted California arsenic an aboriginal adopter arsenic good arsenic regulator of AI, saying the authorities could soon deploy generative AI tools to code road congestion and supply taxation guidance, adjacent arsenic his medication considers caller rules against AI favoritism successful hiring practices.

He besides signed 2 different bills Tuesday to support Hollywood performers from unauthorized AI usage without their consent.

Following Musk's nationalist slamming of Newsom's decision, concerns person been raised regarding the interaction helium could person connected the US elections. 

Hours aft an evident effort connected Donald Trump's beingness implicit the weekend, Musk took to his societal level X to station a reasoning emoji and a remark that 'no 1 is adjacent trying to assassinate' the Democratic president and vice president.

In the midst of anti-Muslim riots successful the UK - which were ginned up by a mendacious rumor - Musk declared that 'civil warfare is inevitable' successful the country.

And erstwhile an anonymous X idiosyncratic distorted information to assertion a surge successful sketchy elector registrations successful 3 US states, Musk amplified the mendacious station and called it 'extremely concerning.'

All 3 posts sparked speedy backlash from nationalist officials who called Musk's words irresponsible and misleading. 

As his words amass millions of views and thousands of shares, they besides exemplify the quality of 1 of the world's astir influential radical to dispersed fear, hatred and misinformation during fraught governmental moments astir the world. 

That's particularly existent due to the fact that helium owns the societal level that used to beryllium Twitter, giving Musk the authorization to signifier however its contented reaches users.

Musk's inaccurate posts to his 200 cardinal followers on with his site's deficiency of guardrails are raising concerns astir however helium could manipulate nationalist spot arsenic Election Day successful the US draws nearer. 

He precocious endorsed Trump's statesmanlike bid and has go much personally invested successful authorities - adjacent agreeing to pb a authorities ratio committee if Trump wins reelection.

Trump gave a shoutout to Musk during an lawsuit connected X Monday evening, basking successful the tech billionaire's endorsement and referring to him arsenic his 'friend.'

At the precise least, experts and predetermination officials interest that Musk could power radical to question the legitimacy of the vote. 

But they besides are acrophobic his words could motivate threats and unit against predetermination workers oregon candidates.

'X and Musk are raising the somesthesia of authorities dangerously and irresponsibly astatine a captious moment,' said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.

'It's shameful.'