July 1 (Reuters) - Google said on Monday it

would make it mandatory for advertisers to disclose election ads

that use digitally altered content to depict real or

realistic-looking people or events, its latest step to battle

election misinformation.

The update to the disclosure requirements under the

political content policy requires marketers to select a checkbox

in the "altered or synthetic content" section of their campaign

settings.

The rapid growth of generative AI, which can create text,

images and video in seconds in response to prompts, has raised

concerns about its potential misuse.

The rise of deepfakes, convincingly manipulated content to

misrepresent someone, have further blurred the lines between the

real and the fake.

Google said it will generate an in-ad disclosure for feeds

and shorts on mobile phones and in-streams on computers and

television. For other formats, advertisers will be required to

provide a noticeable "prominent disclosure" for users.

The "acceptable disclosure language" will vary according to

the context of the ad, Google said.

In April, during the ongoing general election in India, fake

videos of two Bollywood actors that were seen criticizing Prime

Minister Narendra Modi had gone viral online. Both AI-generated

videos asked people to vote for the opposition Congress party.

Separately, Sam Altman-led OpenAI said in May that it had

disrupted five covert influence operations that sought to use

its AI models for "deceptive activity" across the internet, in

an "attempt to manipulate public opinion or influence political

outcomes."

Meta Platforms ( META ) had said last year that it would

make advertisers disclose if AI or other digital tools are being

used to alter or create political, social or election-related

advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.