OpenAI, Adobe, and Microsoft have voiced their approval for a California bill, AB 3211, that requires labeling of AI-created content. The bill is expected to go to a final vote in August.
Mandates for AI-Created Media
AB 3211 requires that AI-generated imagery, videos, and audio include watermarks in their metadata. While many AI firms already embed these details, the bill aims to ensure this information is easily visible to the public by mandating that platforms such as Instagram and X display these labels prominently.
These tech companies are part of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), which has developed a standard widely used for identifying AI-generated media. The coalition has played a key role in creating these metadata standards. Google already uses AI watermarking in its SynthID tool, while TikTok also uses content credentials to lable AI output.
Shift in Tech Giants' Perspective After Amendments
Originally, a trade group for Adobe, Microsoft, and other top software producers opposed AB 3211, calling it “unworkable” in a letter to lawmakers in April. Amendments to the bill have resulted in these companies reversing their stance.
OpenAI stressed the importance of transparency related to AI-generated content, particularly in an election year. In correspondence to the bill's author, Buffy Wicks, OpenAI's Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, pointed out that new technologies and standards can help the public differentiate between human-produced and AI-generated content, reducing potential confusion.
AB 3211 should not be confused with Senate Bill 1047, another AI-focused bill that OpenAI does not support. The proposal includes provisions to mitigate risks such as the creation of bioweapons and financial damages exceeding $500 million. Prominent tech firms, startups, and venture capitalists, including OpenAI, have criticized the legislation, arguing it may drive AI businesses out of California.
The California Chamber of Commerce has opposed AB 3211, claiming the requirements are “very prescriptive and technologically infeasible.” Nonetheless, the bill passed the state assembly unanimously and now awaits the full state Senate's decision.
