The archive provides Chinese and English research texts. Translations may be AI-assisted and may not yet have received independent human review. Consult the original-language sources alongside them.
SB 8 / Chapter 445, approved on 12 May 2026, takes effect on 1 October and amends Criminal Law §8-301. It brings specified AI and deepfake conduct within identity-fraud rules. The relevant prohibition requires knowing, wilful conduct and fraudulent intent, addressing harmful impersonation and specified false-record practices rather than generally banning AI art or stylistic imitation.
What changed
The revised official fiscal and policy note explains harmful impersonation, false depiction or claimed representation, and creation or distribution of false records for specified purposes. Victims of the relevant prohibited conduct may seek an injunction or other appropriate relief. Listed forms such as drawings, cartoons, sculptures and paintings are excluded from the deepfake definition; this is not a blanket artistic exemption from every AI-related offence.
Read the enacted chapter’s title, definitions, prohibition and remedy passages, and final effective-date provision. Page 3 of the revised official fiscal and policy note cross-checks the ambiguous amended wording. Visual verification of PDF strike-through remains pending; this summary does not quote deleted wording. 12 May is approval; 1 October is effectiveness and catalogue entry. AI-assisted translation; independent human review pending.
Editorial research question
Editorial interpretation: the entry provides governance context for research on voice, likeness and identity control, distinguishing identity fraud from performers’ contractual permissions and broader publicity-right claims. The conditions of the offence and remedy should not be replaced by a claim that every unauthorised synthetic likeness is unlawful.
This is an editorial interpretation or question, separate from factual statements.
Evidence & sources
SB 8 / Chapter 445, approved on 12 May 2026, takes effect on 1 October and amends Criminal Law §8-301. It brings specified AI and deepfake conduct within identity-fraud rules. The relevant prohibition requires knowing, wilful conduct and fraudulent intent, addressing harmful impersonation and specified false-record practices rather than generally banning AI art or stylistic imitation.
SRC-U261001-04Pages 1–2, 5 and 7–9; amended wording cross-checked against official policy note page 3
Approval date 12 May 2026 and effective date 1 October 2026
SRC-U261001-06Approval date 12 May 2026 and effective date 1 October 2026
Pages 1–4, especially page 3 on the new prohibition and remedy
SRC-U261001-07Pages 1–4, especially page 3 on the new prohibition and remedy
Maryland General Assembly · EN · 2026-05-12
Maryland General Assembly · EN · Date unknown
Maryland General Assembly · EN · 2026-03-23
Case
Related documents
DOC-U261001-04Maryland Chapter 445 (SB 8): Criminal Law – Identity Fraud – Artificial Intelligence and Deepfake RepresentationsCite this record
ANTI-AI ARCHIVE. “Maryland AI and deepfake identity-fraud amendments take effect.” evt-u261001-04. Include this page’s URL and your access date when citing.