No election AI law1 AI call rule1 political AI law
North Carolina has no law regulating AI or deepfakes in political ads as of October 2026: every election deepfake bill filed in 2023 to 2026 died or is stuck in committee, so only general laws (defamation, fraud, campaign disclaimers, robocall rules) apply.
Political ad AI law
No law
When it applies
No state rule
Required AI disclaimer
None required
Criminal penalty
No state rule
Candidate can sue
General law only
AI voice calls
1 state rule + TCPA
Political ads and deepfakes
Does North Carolina regulate AI in political ads?
No. As of October 5, 2026, North Carolina has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Confirmed: North Carolina has no statute requiring disclosure of, or banning, AI generated or deepfake content in political ads. The 2025 to 2026 bills (H 375 AI/Ban Deceptive Ads, H 934 AI Regulatory Reform Act, H 1161 Omnibus AI Protections) never reached a floor vote, and the 2023 to 2024 bills (S 880, S 88, H 1072) died even though H 1072 passed the House. Axios reported on October 2, 2026 that North Carolina has no laws prohibiting AI in campaign ads, after state Sen. Michael Lee received a cease-and-desist letter over AI ads in August 2026. The 2026 omnibus election bill (H 958) contained no AI provisions and was vetoed by Gov. Stein on August 17, 2026.
No AI disclaimer is required by North Carolina statute. Ads still need North Carolina's standard paid-for-by disclosures, and a deepfake that defames a candidate or misleads voters about how to vote can still create liability under general law and federal rules. If your ad also runs in a neighboring state's media market, that state's AI law can apply.
Bills to watch
H 375 (2025): AI/Ban Deceptive Ads: disclosure for paid political communications with synthetic media, 90 day deepfake disclosure rule with spoken "Contains content generated by AI" for audio, plus intimate image and AI interaction disclosure provisions. Filed March 11, 2025; referred to Commerce and Economic Development, then Election Law, March 13, 2025; no further action
H 934 (2025): AI Regulatory Reform Act: Class 1 misdemeanor for distributing a non-consensual deepfake intended to injure a candidate or influence an election, plus civil damages. Committee substitute reported May 6, 2025; re-referred to House Election Law; no further action as of early October 2026
H 1161 (2025 to 2026 session, filed 2026): Omnibus Artificial Intelligence Protections: would bar candidates, campaigns, parties, PACs and other sponsors from using AI in political ads unless the material clearly states it is AI or parody; Class 1 misdemeanor. Filed April 30, 2026; referred to House Appropriations, then Rules, May 4, 2026; no further action as of early October 2026
S 738 (2025): Digital Content Provenance Initiative/Funds: cryptographic authentication for state and election related public information. Filed 2025; not enacted
H 1072 (2023 to 2024): Election deepfake bill. Passed House May 2024; died in Senate December 2024
S 880 (2023 to 2024): No Deepfakes in Election Communication (90 day window with disclosure). Failed December 2024
S 88 (2023 to 2024): Election deepfake provisions. Passed Senate June 2024; failed December 2024
For campaigns and consultants
Before an AI ad runs in North Carolina
There is no North Carolina AI ad disclaimer or deepfake ban in force; do not tell clients a state AI label is legally required here.
Federal rules and platform and broadcaster policies still apply (Google, Meta and many stations require AI disclosures on political ads), and FCC TCPA rules treat AI voices as artificial voices.
Deepfakes of opponents still carry defamation, fraud and reputational risk, and cease-and-desist letters are already being sent in 2026 races.
Watch H 375, H 934 and H 1161: the General Assembly's 2025 to 2026 session has not adjourned sine die, so these bills are technically alive.
Standard North Carolina sponsor disclaimer rules for political ads still apply to AI made ads.
AI voice calls and texts
Can a campaign use AI voice calls in North Carolina?
North Carolina has no AI-specific rule for political calls. Under current G.S. 75-104, automatic dialing and recorded message players may not be used for unsolicited calls except in listed cases; a political party or political candidate may use them if no part of the call is a telephone solicitation and the caller clearly identifies the person's name and contact information and the nature of the call. HB 936 (Robocall Solicitation Modifications) would replace this with a new robocall definition that expressly includes artificial or artificially generated voice messages and texts, require prior express written consent for most robocalls, ban spoofing and impersonating officials, and keep a narrow political call exception; it passed the House May 7, 2025 and the Senate (amended) June 17, 2026, the House refused to concur June 23, 2026, and it has been in conference committee since June 24, 2026. It is not law.
Restrictions on use of automatic dialing and recorded message players (political party and candidate exception)
In effect
Citation
N.C. Gen. Stat. 75-104
When it applies
anytime
Media covered
unsolicited calls using automatic dialing and recorded message players (prerecorded or artificial voice messages)
Who it covers
any person; political parties and political candidates qualify for an exception
Rule
disclosure required
Disclaimer format
For the political party or candidate exception: no part of the call may be a telephone solicitation, and the caller must clearly identify the person's name and contact information and the nature of the unsolicited call.
Exemptions
calls with the subscriber's express invitation or permission and other listed exceptions
Civil penalty
Enforced under the state telephone solicitation article (Attorney General civil penalties and private suits); amounts not confirmed here
Notes
Official text confirmed (2003-411, last amended 2018-40). The exception names a political party or political candidate; whether independent expenditure groups, PACs or issue groups making prerecorded or AI voice calls fit an exception was not confirmed.
Federal floor everywhere: AI-generated voices are “artificial” voices under the TCPA (FCC, February 2024), so they need prior express consent to cell phones and must identify the caller at the start of the call. AI robocall laws in every state
Federal layer
Federal rules that apply in North Carolina
At the federal level, the binding rules that hit AI in campaigns today are the TCPA and FCC robocall rules, not any AI-specific election law. Since February 2024 the FCC treats AI-generated voices as "artificial" voices, so AI voice calls to cell phones need prior express consent (political calls included), AI or prerecorded political calls to landlines are limited to three per 30 days without consent, and every such message must identify the caller, give a callback number and offer an opt-out. The FEC says its existing fraudulent misrepresentation ban covers AI, but it has had no quorum since April 2025 and cannot enforce. Proposed FCC rules on AI disclosure in broadcast political ads and in AI calls were never adopted, and no federal AI political ad disclaimer bill has passed. Federal efforts to preempt state AI laws (a 2025 moratorium the Senate struck 99 to 1, and Executive Order 14365) have not displaced any state election or robocall law as of October 2026.
Voter contact that clears North Carolina's AI rules before the first dial.
Live professional callers and AI voice programs for voter ID, persuasion, ballot chase and GOTV, scripted to the disclosure and consent rules on this page, with every call graded and a real time dashboard.
No. As of October 5, 2026, North Carolina has no state law that specifically regulates artificial intelligence or deepfakes in political ads or election communications. Confirmed: North Carolina has no statute requiring disclosure of, or banning, AI generated or deepfake content in political ads. The 2025 to 2026 bills (H 375 AI/Ban Deceptive Ads, H 934 AI Regulatory Reform Act, H 1161 Omnibus AI Protections) never reached a floor vote, and the 2023 to 2024 bills (S 880, S 88, H 1072) died even though H 1072 passed the House. Axios reported on October 2, 2026 that North Carolina has no laws prohibiting AI in campaign ads, after state Sen. Michael Lee received a cease-and-desist letter over AI ads in August 2026. The 2026 omnibus election bill (H 958) contained no AI provisions and was vetoed by Gov. Stein on August 17, 2026.
Can a campaign use an AI voice for robocalls in North Carolina?
North Carolina has no AI-specific rule for political calls. Under current G.S. 75-104, automatic dialing and recorded message players may not be used for unsolicited calls except in listed cases; a political party or political candidate may use them if no part of the call is a telephone solicitation and the caller clearly identifies the person's name and contact information and the nature of the call. HB 936 (Robocall Solicitation Modifications) would replace this with a new robocall definition that expressly includes artificial or artificially generated voice messages and texts, require prior express written consent for most robocalls, ban spoofing and impersonating officials, and keep a narrow political call exception; it passed the House May 7, 2025 and the Senate (amended) June 17, 2026, the House refused to concur June 23, 2026, and it has been in conference committee since June 24, 2026. It is not law. Under federal law, the FCC ruled in February 2024 that AI-generated voices are "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so prerecorded or AI voice calls to cell phones need prior express consent, and every such call must identify the caller at the start.
How many political AI laws does North Carolina have?
This tracker counts 1 North Carolina AI law touching politics and elections as of October 5, 2026: 1 on AI or artificial voice calls.
Are there pending AI election bills in North Carolina?
H 375 (2025) (AI/Ban Deceptive Ads: disclosure for paid political communications with synthetic media, 90 day deepfake disclosure rule with spoken "Contains content generated by AI" for audio, plus intimate image and AI interaction disclosure provisions): Filed March 11, 2025; referred to Commerce and Economic Development, then Election Law, March 13, 2025; no further action. H 934 (2025) (AI Regulatory Reform Act: Class 1 misdemeanor for distributing a non-consensual deepfake intended to injure a candidate or influence an election, plus civil damages): Committee substitute reported May 6, 2025; re-referred to House Election Law; no further action as of early October 2026. H 1161 (2025 to 2026 session, filed 2026) (Omnibus Artificial Intelligence Protections: would bar candidates, campaigns, parties, PACs and other sponsors from using AI in political ads unless the material clearly states it is AI or parody; Class 1 misdemeanor): Filed April 30, 2026; referred to House Appropriations, then Rules, May 4, 2026; no further action as of early October 2026. S 738 (2025) (Digital Content Provenance Initiative/Funds: cryptographic authentication for state and election related public information): Filed 2025; not enacted. H 1072 (2023 to 2024) (Election deepfake bill): Passed House May 2024; died in Senate December 2024. S 880 (2023 to 2024) (No Deepfakes in Election Communication (90 day window with disclosure)): Failed December 2024. S 88 (2023 to 2024) (Election deepfake provisions): Passed Senate June 2024; failed December 2024.
Verified October 5, 2026 against official legislature and statute pages. This page summarizes North Carolina law for campaigns and is not legal advice.