Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced several bills in advance of the 2026 legislative session aimed at regulating the use of artificial intelligence in political advertising, public policy and placing limits on AI usage for children.
Senate Bill 746 by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, would require candidates, political parties, and committees to disclose any political advertisement that uses generative AI to portray real people in fabricated situations. The disclosure would be required to be clear and visible in images and video or audible in audio-only content. Candidates would gain new legal tools to combat misuse, including the ability to sue to stop distribution or seek damages if their likeness, voice, or actions are misrepresented.
“As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, voters deserve to know what’s been digitally manipulated in an effort to sway their votes. Campaign ads and mailers already have to disclose who paid for them, and SB 746 applies that same level of transparency to content created or altered using generative AI,” Seifried told The Frontier. “I’m confident that seeing these disclaimers will help Oklahomans be able to tell fact from fiction during future election seasons.”
Some states, including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin, already require that political ads containing AI‑generated or other manipulated content include clear disclaimers indicating that the media has been altered.
Other states have adopted stricter measures. Texas and Minnesota prohibit the distribution of AI‑generated political media intended to influence an election within a defined pre‑election window — 30 days in Texas and 90 days in Minnesota — unless specific conditions are met, and these laws attach civil or even criminal penalties for violations. Some of these statutes have already faced legal challenges on First Amendment grounds, with platforms like X arguing that broad bans risk chilling protected speech.
As AI and its host of applications have gained a foothold nationally, Gov. Kevin Stitt has emphasized that artificial intelligence and related technologies represent both economic opportunity and governmental efficiency. At the launch of Oklahoma’s AI Task Force, Stitt said AI “has the potential to revolutionize the way our society operates,” saying it could help the state root out inefficiencies and prepare a globally competitive workforce.
Stitt has also framed Oklahoma as a future hub for advanced technologies, saying the state’s legacy in manufacturing and aerospace makes it “the ideal location to lead the development of the next generation of autonomous technologies.”
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🔶 Donate NowLawmakers are also addressing AI’s interaction with minors. Senate Bill 1521, by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, would restrict AI chatbots that pose potential harm to children, requiring age verification, barring minors from interacting with certain AI companions, and mandating disclosures that bots are not human or licensed professionals.
“Companies would be required to build age verification into the user registration process, freezing existing accounts until users provide verifiable age data,” Hamilton told The Frontier. “Far too many innocent children have been harmed or exposed to explicit content by online platforms and AI frameworks. As AI continues to evolve, it is necessary to protect the most vulnerable among us from being subjected to content that is not suitable or that puts their safety at risk.”
A trio of House bills by Rep. Cody Maynard, R-Durant, seek new restrictions on AI. House Bill 3546 would explicitly state that AI systems and algorithms cannot be granted legal personhood under Oklahoma law or the state constitution. Maynard said in a statement that he wants to affirm that rights belong to people, not machines.
“Machines are created by man, and they must never be elevated to the status of the people they were designed to serve,” Maynard said in a statement.
House Bill 3545 would impose guardrails on how AI can be used by state agencies. It would restrict what it defines as high-risk applications, including systems that manipulate people, enable unlawful discrimination, conduct real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces, or produce deceptive or malicious deepfakes. The bill would require agencies to review certain AI-driven recommendations and report their use of AI tools. An annual statewide AI report would be published by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Another measure, House Bill 3544, would ban deployment of social AI companions and human-like chatbots to minors and require companies to use reasonable age-verification measures. A narrow exception would allow some therapeutic or clinical uses under professional supervision.
Maynard said the bill responds to growing national concerns, including lawsuits and media reports claiming that some AI companion platforms may foster emotional dependency in minors and, in extreme cases, have been linked to self-harm.
Correction: Rep. Cody Maynard’s name was listed incorrectly.
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