82% of all state deepfake laws enacted in the past two years, Ballotpedia analysis shows

Middleton, Wisconsin--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2025) - As artificial intelligence (AI) has become more advanced, one topic that has become a growing political and social issue is the use of deepfakes. Deepfakes are AI-generated or manipulated videos, images, or audio files that realistically portray something that did not actually occur. States have enacted 64 new laws related to deepfakes so far in 2025, bringing the total number of states with deepfake laws to 47.

Forty-seven states have enacted deepfake laws since 2019, and 82% of all state deepfake laws have been enacted in the past two years, according to Ballotpedia's second annual Mid-Year Deepfake Legislation Report. The report documents how U.S. states are shaping policy around AI-generated content as deepfakes become more sophisticated and prevalent.

The 64 deepfake-related laws enacted by states so far in 2025 represent a 23% increase from the 52 laws passed during the same period in 2024. Of the 174 total deepfake laws states have approved since 2019, this striking 82% concentration in 2024-2025 demonstrates explosive growth in state-level regulation. This data comes from Ballotpedia's Artificial Intelligence Deepfake Legislation Tracker, a first-of-its-kind tool launched in June 2024 that provides real-time monitoring of AI deepfake legislation across all 50 states.

Key Findings

• Sexually explicit content and political communications remain the top areas of focus in deepfake regulation since 2019.
• Other laws address fraud prevention, tech platform regulation, and property rights related to synthetic media.
• Since January 2025, the number of states that have enacted laws addressing sexually explicit deepfakes increased from 32 to 45. The number of states with laws regulating political deepfakes increased from 21 to 28.

Federal lawmakers proposed a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI regulation this year— the U.S. Senate struck down the moratorium by a 99-1 vote on July 1.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) initially sought to ban state regulation of AI models for a decade. Had it passed, it would have blocked all 50 states from enacting or enforcing their own deepfake laws.

About the Tracker

Ballotpedia's Artificial Intelligence Deepfake Legislation Tracker monitors:

• Bill introductions and updates in real time
• Topics addressed (e.g., political speech, explicit content, fraud)
• Legislative outcomes and policy trends

The tracker uses a combination of automated keyword detection, manual bill review, and real-time news analysis to ensure accuracy and breadth.

About Ballotpedia Legislation Trackers

Ballotpedia's legislation trackers provide a free (no login or sign-up required) and centralized hub that makes staying on top of legislation and legislative reforms across all 50 states easier than ever. Founded on Ballotpedia's hallmark principle of being neutral on the issues, but passionate about the facts, our legislation trackers are updated in real time and designed to be easily searchable. Used as a go-to resource for voters, reporters, researchers, academics, and activists, they capture any bill introduced on the given topic across all 50-state legislatures and track bill movement every step of the way.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, is the nation's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections, and policy. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers working on a handful of ballot measures to an essential resource for voters, media, and researchers. Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the public interest in creating an educated, engaged electorate and building a strong, healthy democracy. For free access to 600,000+ encyclopedic, professionally authored, and curated articles, visit Ballotpedia.org.

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