New Mexico asks tourism advertisers to keep AI-made places out
generative AI（JEN-uh-ray-tiv A-I）
Software that makes new text, pictures, or video.
Keep it True（keep it true）
A voluntary promise to show real people and places.
metadata（MET-uh-day-tuh）
Recorded information attached to an image.
What happened
On September 23, the New Mexico Tourism Department, the state office that promotes travel, said it would keep generative AI out of advertising production. Generative AI is software that creates new text, images, or video. The department invited tourism businesses to sign a pledge called “Keep it True.” The pledge asks them to show only authentic people and landscapes, and to work with human creative professionals. Those workers may be contracted, commissioned, or hired on staff. New Mexico Tourism Department announcement
The background
The department first introduced the pledge in July. Dozens of tourism groups have joined since then. The announcement names groups connected with Gallup, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Alamogordo, and Los Alamos County. New Mexico’s travel brand, New Mexico True, is built around authenticity. Acting Tourism Secretary Lancing Adams said invented people and landscapes would violate that spirit.
Why this matters
A tourism advertisement is more than a pretty picture. It also makes a promise about a real destination. An AI-generated lake or street can look convincing while not existing anywhere. Visitors could arrive and find something different. That gap could weaken trust in the advertisement and the place it promotes.
The policy does not say that every use of AI is unacceptable. Its wording focuses on advertising production. It gives special value to real subjects, real landscapes, and human creative work. That choice reflects a simple question: should a travel ad show what visitors can actually see?
What is confirmed
The announcement describes a voluntary industry pledge, not a new statewide law. It does not announce a general ban on every AI tool. New Mexico also pointed to Tennessee, which launched a tourism campaign called “Yeah, It’s Real” in July. Tennessee also introduced an authenticity label that checks metadata, or recorded information attached to an image.
The wider public mood is mixed. A Gallup survey found that 49% of Americans viewed businesses using AI to create advertisements negatively. Only 19% viewed that use positively. Yet 75% accepted AI for brainstorming or early drafts when the use was disclosed. By contrast, 62% said creating people or voices with AI was unacceptable. The results suggest that people care about where AI enters the creative process.Gallup survey
What remains unclear
The announcement does not explain how participating groups will check every image or video. It also does not say what happens if a participant breaks the pledge. The rules for using AI during brainstorming, editing, or early drafting are not fully described. The final number of participating tourism businesses is also unknown.
What to watch next
The next test will be whether the pledge spreads beyond the groups already named. It will also be worth watching whether tourism agencies use labels to show how images were made. Public reactions may reveal whether travelers value human-made advertising enough to change industry practice.
New Mexico wants tourism ads to show real places
📰 Full story: New Mexico asks tourism advertisers to keep AI-made places out
New Mexico’s tourism office says travel advertising should use real people and landscapes.
generative AI（JEN-uh-ray-tiv A-I）
Software that creates new pictures, words, or videos.
Keep it True（keep it true）
A promise to show real places and people.
Gallup（GAL-up）
A group that asks people what they think.
💡 The gist
- New Mexico announced a new tourism advertising policy.
- Its pledge asks ads to show real places and people.
- The department wants human creators, not AI-made scenes.
What happened?
New Mexico Tourism Department is the state office that promotes travel. On September 23, it announced a new advertising policy. Generative AI means software that creates new pictures, words, or videos.
The department asks tourism businesses to sign a promise called “Keep it True.” The promise asks ads to show real people and real landscapes. It also asks people to help create the advertising. The promise is voluntary. It is not a new law.
Dozens of tourism groups have joined since July. The announcement mentions groups linked with Gallup, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Alamogordo, and Los Alamos County.
Why does this matter?
Travel advertising is a promise about a real place. An AI-made lake may look real, but it may not exist. Visitors could arrive and find something different. They might then trust the advertisement less.
New Mexico says its travel brand depends on authenticity. Authenticity means showing what is real. The department therefore wants real subjects and landscapes in its ads.
Is everyone against AI ads?
No. Gallup, a polling group, found mixed opinions. Forty-nine percent viewed business AI advertising negatively. Nineteen percent viewed it positively. Gallup also found that 75% accepted AI for ideas or early drafts, when disclosed. But 62% rejected AI-made people or voices.
That difference matters. People may accept AI as a helper. They may dislike it when it replaces real people.
What happens next?
The pledge does not explain every checking rule. It also does not explain penalties. Watch whether more tourism groups join. Watch whether agencies use labels to prove images are real.
Sources: New Mexico Tourism Department announcement and Gallup survey.
New Mexico wants real travel pictures
📰 Full story: New Mexico asks tourism advertisers to keep AI-made places out
The travel office wants ads to show places that really exist.
New Mexico Tourism Department（New MEX-i-co TOUR-ism Department）
A group that tells people about travel.
generative AI（JEN-uh-ray-tiv A-I）
A computer tool that makes pictures.
Keep it True（keep it true）
A promise to show real places.
New Mexico Tourism Department tells people about travel.
It wants travel ads to show real places. Generative AI is a computer tool that makes pictures. Those pictures can show places that do not exist.
That could surprise travelers. New Mexico asks tourism groups to make a promise. The promise is called “Keep it True.” People should help make the ads.
This promise is not a law. Groups choose whether to join. Another state, Tennessee, uses a label for real pictures.
Gallup asked people about AI ads. Among 100 people, 49 disliked them. Only 19 liked them. 100 × 49% = 49 people; 100 × 19% = 19 people.
Now watch whether more travel groups join the promise.
Sources: New Mexico Tourism Department announcement and Gallup survey.