Louisiana Deepfake Laws: AI Images, Voice Cloning & Penalties (2026)

Louisiana is one of the toughest states on sexual deepfakes. Under La. R.S. 14:73.13, enacted in 2023, distributing a nonconsensual AI-generated sexual image of an adult or a minor carries up to 30 years imprisonment. Louisiana has no election deepfake law after Governor Jeff Landry vetoed HB 154 in 2024 on First Amendment grounds, but the Allen Toussaint Legacy Act gives every individual a statutory right of publicity covering name, voice, likeness, and digital replicas.

Is It Illegal to Make a Deepfake of Someone in Louisiana?

It depends on the type of deepfake. Louisiana law draws a clear line between sexual content and everything else. The state's deepfake statute, R.S. 14:73.13, targets three categories: nonconsensual intimate images of adults, sexual content depicting minors, and distribution of either. Outside those categories, making a deepfake is generally not a state crime under current Louisiana law.

Louisiana law does not criminalize deepfakes used for general satire, parody, news commentary, or political speech, and the statute itself carves out content that includes a clear disclosure or constitutes satire. The vetoed HB 154 would have extended the law to election-related deepfakes, but that coverage was never enacted. AI voice clones used for fraud or robocalls fall under separate federal provisions, not Louisiana's deepfake statute.

The three buckets on this page are: (1) sexual and intimate deepfakes of adults plus AI-generated child sexual abuse material, (2) election and political deepfakes (absent in Louisiana), and (3) AI voice cloning and digital likeness rights.

Sexual and Intimate Deepfakes

Louisiana enacted R.S. 14:73.13 in 2023 as a standalone deepfake criminal statute, one of the most severe in the country. The law covers audio or visual media that is created, altered, or digitally manipulated in a manner that would falsely appear to a reasonable observer to be an authentic record, which reaches AI-generated content, and that depicts a real person in sexual conduct without their consent.

For adults, the offense of distributing, advertising, or selling a nonconsensual sexual deepfake carries imprisonment at hard labor for not less than 10 nor more than 30 years, plus an optional fine of up to $50,000. A second statute, R.S. 14:73.14 (Act 142 of 2024, effective August 1, 2024), adds a misdemeanor offense for maliciously disseminating or selling an AI-created image that depicts an identifiable person nude, with intent to coerce, harass, or intimidate, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $750 fine.

For minors, the statute creates two separate crimes. Creating or possessing deepfake sexual content depicting a minor carries 5 to 20 years at hard labor, with a mandatory minimum of 5 years that must be served without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. Distributing that same content carries 10 to 30 years, with a mandatory minimum of 10 years served without parole.

The base CSAM statute, R.S. 14:81.1, was renamed from "pornography involving juveniles" to "child sexual abuse materials" by Acts 2025, No. 261, but its definition still reaches only a reproduction of a sexual performance involving a real child under the age of seventeen and does not explicitly mention computer-generated images. R.S. 14:73.13 is the operative provision for AI-generated minor sexual content in Louisiana. Federal law under 18 U.S.C. 2256(8)(B) also covers AI-generated images indistinguishable from a real minor, so there is no practical coverage gap for that category.

The statutory definition of "deepfake" excludes media whose content, context, or clear disclosure would lead a reasonable person to understand it is not a record of a real event, along with works of political, public interest, or newsworthy value, including commentary, criticism, satire, and parody. AI-generated sexual content depicting minors remains prosecutable under federal law regardless of disclosure.

Election and Political Deepfakes

Louisiana has no enacted law prohibiting deceptive deepfakes in political advertising. HB 154, introduced during the 2024 Regular Session, would have made it illegal to distribute manipulated audio, video, or images of political candidates with intent to deceive voters within a specified window before an election. Governor Jeff Landry vetoed the bill on June 19, 2024.

In his veto message, Landry wrote: "While I applaud the efforts to prevent false political attacks, I believe this bill creates serious First Amendment concerns as it relates to emerging technologies." He noted that the law on AI and political speech remains unsettled and that more information was needed before regulations were enacted.

The veto leaves Louisiana without any election-specific deepfake restriction as of 2026. Creators and distributors of deceptive political AI content in Louisiana face no state criminal exposure under a deepfake statute, though general election law prohibiting false statements about candidates may apply in some circumstances.

Louisiana's caution reflects a broader national pattern. California's AB 2839, which targeted election deepfakes, was struck down and permanently enjoined in August 2025 on First Amendment grounds. Courts have consistently required narrow tailoring for laws regulating political speech, and the governor's concern tracks that judicial trend. For context on the national picture, see the Deepfake and AI Voice Cloning Laws by State hub.

AI Voice Cloning and Digital Likeness

Louisiana has a statutory right of publicity: the Allen Toussaint Legacy Act (La. R.S. 51:470.1 through 470.6, Act 425 of 2022, effective August 1, 2022). The Act gives every individual a property right in the use of their identity, defined to include name, voice, signature, photograph, image, likeness, and digital replica, for commercial purposes.

Using someone's identity for a commercial purpose in Louisiana without consent violates the Act. A successful plaintiff can recover the greater of $1,000 or actual damages, plus disgorgement of the defendant's profits, injunctive relief, and potentially attorney fees. The defined term "digital replica" is limited to computer-generated reproductions of a professional performer's likeness or voice, but the broader identity right, which includes voice, protects every individual. Exemptions cover news, political campaigns, commentary, criticism, parody, and other expressive works, and voice-clone abuse not tied to a commercial use may fall outside the Act.

The reference point for voice-clone legislation is Tennessee's ELVIS Act (Tenn. Code Ann. 47-25-1101 et seq., eff. July 1, 2024), the first state law to extend right-of-publicity protections expressly to AI voice simulations. Louisiana's Toussaint Act is older and not AI-specific, but its coverage of voice and digital replicas reaches much of the same conduct. A separate bill regulating AI and deepfakes in political advertising (SB 97, 2024) passed both chambers but was vetoed by Governor Landry on June 20, 2024, the day after he vetoed HB 154.

For a broader look at how Louisiana regulates AI-generated content across sectors, see Louisiana AI Laws.

Federal Law That Applies in Louisiana

Even without a state election-deepfake law, several federal provisions apply to Louisiana residents and businesses.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act (Public Law 119-12, signed May 19, 2025) is the first federal law targeting intimate deepfakes. It criminalizes knowing publication of nonconsensual intimate visual depictions of adults or minors, expressly including AI-generated "digital forgeries," with penalties up to 2 years imprisonment (3 years for content involving minors). Critically, it requires online platforms to remove flagged content within 48 hours of a victim's notice. The FTC enforces the platform removal obligation.

The DEFIANCE Act, which would create a federal civil cause of action for sexual deepfake victims with liquidated damages up to $150,000 ($250,000 if the conduct involved actual or attempted sexual assault, stalking, or harassment), passed the Senate in the 118th Congress but died in the House. Reintroduced as S.1837 in the 119th Congress, it passed the Senate again on January 13, 2026, and is now pending in the House. It is not yet law.

The NO FAKES Act (S.4591, 119th Congress) would create a federal right of publicity covering AI voice and likeness replicas. It has not passed either chamber and is proposed only.

For AI voice cloning in robocalls, the FCC ruled in February 2024 (FCC 24-17) that AI-generated voices are "artificial" under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. AI voice-clone calls to phones without prior express consent are illegal nationwide, including in Louisiana.

Federal CSAM law (18 U.S.C. 2256(8)(B), PROTECT Act 2003) covers computer- and AI-generated images indistinguishable from a real minor, regardless of whether any actual child was depicted. This fills any gap left by Louisiana's base CSAM statute, which does not address computer-generated imagery.

For data privacy dimensions of AI-generated content, see Louisiana Data Privacy Laws.

What Victims Can Do

If you are a victim of a sexual deepfake in Louisiana, R.S. 14:73.13 is a criminal statute, so your primary avenue is a report to local law enforcement or the Louisiana Attorney General's office. There is no private right of action written into the statute itself.

For civil remedies, victims must rely on common law tort claims: invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and potentially defamation if the image falsely portrays the person in a real situation. These claims require filing in state court and carrying the burden of proof without the benefit of statutory damages.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act (federal, effective May 2025) gives victims a direct path for platform removal: submit a notice to the platform identifying the content, and the platform must take it down within 48 hours. The FTC enforces this obligation. This is often the fastest practical remedy to stop ongoing distribution.

For AI voice-clone fraud or impersonation, file a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If the fraud involved robocalls, file separately with the FCC.

For broader context on Louisiana's privacy and digital rights framework, the Louisiana recording laws page covers consent rules for audio and video recording.

Penalties at a Glance

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information, not legal advice. Deepfake and AI laws are changing rapidly at both the state and federal level; the information here reflects the law as of 2026 but may not capture recent amendments or new court decisions. Consult a licensed Louisiana attorney for advice about your specific situation.

Sources

See the source list below for primary legal citations used in this article.

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