AI Fraud Accountability Act of 2026

This bill would make it a federal crime to use a digital impersonation, such as an AI-generated image, video, or voice of a real or made-up person, to pose as someone with intent to cheat a person out of money or other things of value. Violators, and people who threaten to commit this offense, could be fined, imprisoned up to 3 years, or both, and would have to forfeit property tied to the crime. The Federal Trade Commission could also treat this conduct as an unfair or deceptive practice. The bill would create a working group led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop best practices for detecting and preventing this fraud, and would direct federal agencies to identify the top 10 foreign countries where violations originate and work with foreign law enforcement. Law enforcement and intelligence activities are exempt, and the bill states it does not restrict parody, satire, journalism, or other First Amendment rights.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Tim Sheehy Republican sponsor
• 3 cosponsors