New York Synthetic Media & AI Disclosure: An Overview
Updated 21 May 2026
New York has addressed synthetic media through several measures, particularly around the use of digital replicas and synthetic likenesses of real people. This overview explains the general direction of that regulation and what it means in practice. As with any fast-moving area of law, confirm the current statutory text and effective dates against an official source before relying on specifics.
The focus on synthetic likenesses
A recurring theme in New York’s approach is the protection of individuals from unauthorised synthetic depictions — AI-generated likenesses or “digital replicas” of real people used without consent. This is especially relevant to advertising, entertainment and any work involving digital avatars or AI-generated spokespeople.
Why this matters for advertisers and agencies
If your work involves AI-generated people — synthetic models, voice clones, digital presenters — the combination of consent and clear disclosure becomes important. Disclosing that a depicted person is a synthetic creation, and that the content does not show real events, is both good practice and increasingly an expectation under deepfake-focused rules.
The connection to broader AI transparency
New York’s synthetic-media focus sits alongside the wider movement — the EU AI Act, California’s transparency efforts — toward clearly labelling AI-generated content. For deepfake-style content in particular, the expectation across jurisdictions is a disclosure that explicitly states the material is synthetic.
Practical steps
For any AI-generated likeness of a real person, use a disclosure that clearly marks it as synthetic, secure the necessary rights and consent, and embed the disclosure in the file metadata as well as showing it visibly. Our disclosure generator includes a dedicated deepfake option that applies stricter wording for exactly this case.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and may not reflect the most recent changes. Verify the current law and consult a qualified lawyer for your situation.