2024 is an election year, and while it seems to be a repeat of 2020, there is one new player in the game: Artificial Intelligence (AI). People around the world are expressing concerns over how AI can skew the results of the elections. AI can be used to create incriminating videos or audios of candidates that do not represent their political platforms. With the way videos can spread on social media, especially TikTok, like wildfire, it makes sense that the general public is concerned.
Luckily, lawmakers on a global and national scale are starting to take control.
Friday was the 2024 Munich Security Conference. As of Feb. 15, according to ABC News, six technology giants are planning to sign an agreement to discourage the use of AI in political spaces on their platforms. The companies, who put out a joint statement, include Adobe, Google, Facebook’s Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and TikTok, along with other smaller companies.
“We affirm that the protection of electoral integrity and public trust is a shared responsibility and a common good that transcends partisan interests and national borders,” the draft agreement says, according to POLITCO.
X, Elon Musk’s rebranding of Twitter, was not included in the statement and did not respond to ABC New’s request for comments.
This is a direct response after an incident in New Hampshire where an AI of President Joe Biden’s voice was used to discourage people from voting.
Nationally, Oregon lawmakers are taking a stance against the use of AI. According to Oregon Public Broadcast, Senator Aaron Wilson introduced Senate Bill 1571, which would force political campaigns and advertisements to disclose if they are using AI. If campaigns violate the bill, the Oregon Secretary of State could file a lawsuit, and they would face a fine of up to $10k. This bill has bipartisan support, a rarity in today’s political climate.
Critics argue that political campaigns using AI aren’t where the concern lies. It’s the AI on social media. Any person can use ChatGPT or other AI platforms to generate deepfakes. While Microsoft and Google have initiatives to combat it, nothing is foolproof. Critics say that we need to be building awareness of deepfakes and other inappropriate usage of AI.
Whether you applaud the future of AI or detest it, there is no use denying that it is becoming part of our culture. Let’s hope that it doesn’t find a way to control it.
