AG Sunday Applauds Law to Protect Citizens from the Dangers of AI
HARRISBURG – Today, Sen. Tracy Pennycuick’s (R-24) legislation, Senate Bill 649, was signed into law as Act 35 of 2025. The new law classifies deepfakes and other forms of digital impersonation as digital forgeries, punishable by law.
“We’ve seen criminals impersonating loved ones to swindle the elderly; fabricated political videos and calls intending to fraudulently mislead and misinform voters; and malicious digital content targeting celebrities and private citizens alike,” Pennycuick said. “This law gives law enforcement the tools they need to fight this digital deception yet does so in a responsible manner, protecting First Amendment rights and preserving valid expressions of parody, satire and other forms of free speech.”
Technology such as artificial intelligence allows individuals to create convincing images, audio and video of others, often without consent, that are nearly indistinguishable from reality. 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.
“We have seen modern technology weaponized to exploit and abuse children, and scam older Pennsylvanians into providing their personal information and financial assets,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “I commend Senator Pennycuick and the legislature for recognizing the danger that artificial intelligence poses to Pennsylvanians. Having this law on the books adds another tool to our chest as we continue to proactively investigate and hold offenders accountable.”
Act 35 of 2025 amends the current forgery provisions in state law to include “forged digital likeness.” Under the new provision, 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.
CONTACT: Liz Ferry, 215-356-8252 eferry@pasen.gov