Creator of Kamala Harris parody video sues California over ‘deepfake’ ban

Sep 20

Jack Aylmer Reporter

By Jack Aylmer (Reporter), Alex Delia (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)

A conservative commentator who used artificial intelligence to create a parody video of Vice President Kamala Harris is suing California, arguing that recent laws banning AI-generated political content violate his constitutional rights. Christopher Kohls, known online as “Mr. Reagan,” filed the lawsuit after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation aimed at curbing the spread of digitally altered deepfakes in political campaigns.

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The lawsuit claims the laws infringe on Kohls’ First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights, asserting that political satire, whether created by AI or traditional methods, is a protected form of free speech.

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In July, Kohls posted a video that mimicked Harris’ voice using AI, portraying her as “the ultimate diversity hire” in a mock campaign ad. The video quickly went viral after it was shared by X owner Elon Musk without being labeled as parody.

Newsom, who criticized the video, vowed to act swiftly to ban such AI-altered content, citing concerns over the potential for misinformation to influence elections.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, he signed laws targeting fraudulent campaign materials, including those generated with artificial intelligence.

Kohls’ lawsuit challenges these laws, claiming that the state is attempting to make political satire illegal and restrict his ability to use AI in his content. He argues that the laws could suppress free expression in political discourse, especially as AI becomes more commonly used in media.

Legal experts say the case could set a precedent for how AI-generated content is regulated in future elections and whether existing free speech protections extend to digital parodies.

Newsom’s office has not yet commented on the lawsuit.

Tags: 14th Amendment, 2024 Elections, California, Election, Election security, Elon Musk, Free Speech, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Lawsuit, Ronald Reagan, Twitter, X

IN CALIFORNIA, THE LEGAL BATTLE CONTINUES OVER THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN POLITICS. THE CREATOR OF A CONTROVERSIAL KAMALA HARRIS PARODY VIDEO IS SUING THE STATE, CLAIMING THAT LAWS RECENTLY SIGNED BY GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM VIOLATE FREE SPEECH RIGHTS.

CHRISTOPHER KOHLS, A CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR KNOWN BY HIS ONLINE ALIAS ‘MR. REAGAN,’ IS AT THE CENTER OF THIS LAWSUIT. BACK IN JULY, KOHLS POSTED A VIDEO USING AI TO IMITATE THE VICE PRESIDENT’S VOICE, PORTRAYING HER AS, QUOTE, ‘THE ULTIMATE DIVERSITY HIRE,’ IN A PARODY OF A HARRIS CAMPAIGN AD. THE VIDEO QUICKLY WENT VIRAL, EVEN CATCHING THE ATTENTION OF X OWNER ELON MUSK, WHO SHARED IT WITH MILLIONS… WITHOUT LABELING IT AS SATIRE.

IN RESPONSE, GOVERNOR NEWSOM PROMISED SWIFT ACTION TO BAN SUCH AI-ALTERED POLITICAL CONTENT… SIGNING NEW LAWS THAT SPECIFICALLY TARGET FRAUDULENT CAMPAIGN MATERIALS CREATED WITH AI. THESE LAWS AIM TO PROTECT VOTERS FROM MISLEADING OR FALSE INFORMATION.

BUT KOHLS IS NOW FIGHTING BACK. HIS LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE BAN VIOLATES HIS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH, ARGUING THAT POLITICAL SATIRE IS PROTECTED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION, EVEN WHEN CREATED USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. THE COMPLAINT ALSO INVOKES THE 14TH AMENDMENT, SUGGESTING THE STATE IS UNFAIRLY TARGETING POLITICAL EXPRESSION THROUGH NEW TECHNOLOGIES.

LEGAL EXPERTS SAY THE CASE COULD SET A PRECEDENT FOR HOW AI-GENERATED CONTENT IS REGULATED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS AND WHETHER EXISTING FREE SPEECH PROTECTIONS EXTEND TO DIGITAL PARODIES.

AS OF NOW… GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S OFFICE HAS NOT YET COMMENTED ON THE LAWSUIT.

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