Extends crime of identity theft to include fraudulent impersonation or false depiction by means of artificial intelligence or deepfake technology.

New Jersey's S 736 bill would expand the state's identity theft law to specifically criminalize using AI or deepfake technology to impersonate someone or create false depictions for fraud or harm. It adds "false depiction" via AI-generated media (like manipulated videos or audio) to the existing definition of identity theft, making it illegal to impersonate others or misrepresent their identity using such technology to obtain benefits, avoid debts, or cause injury. Penalties would range from a fourth-degree crime (for minor harm) to a second-degree crime (for large-scale fraud or multiple victims), mirroring current sentencing tiers for identity theft. The law targets AI-driven impersonation that causes financial loss, reputational damage, or other harm, but does not regulate general AI use.