Aspen Policy Academy

This article originally appeared on the Center for Democracy & Technology’s website on December 12, 2025.

By Shruti Das, Influencing AI from the Outside alum

Over the past decade, the question of what to trust online has become a central public challenge. In 2024, the World Economic Forum ranked AI-generated mis- and disinformation as the most significant short-term global risk, surpassing even the threat of extreme weather events. Seeking to bring clarity to an increasingly muddy information environment, American policymakers are drafting regulations that call for better markers of authenticity and more robust systems of digital verification. While these proposals make intuitive sense, poorly designed measures risk backfiring, potentially weakening both reliable information and the free exchange of ideas. Moreover, laws that compel speakers to disclose more about their speech raise complex First Amendment questions and require prudence when establishing provenance-related rules. That said, well-crafted actions aimed at strengthening the information space are still worth pursuing.