AI-Powered “Deepfakes” Are the New Threat in Elections
- As over 50 countries hold elections in 2024, AI-generated deepfakes are being used to spread misinformation.
- Examples include fake audio of candidates saying things they never said and robocalls impersonating political figures.
- Governments and tech platforms are scrambling to detect and label this synthetic media.
The 2024 election cycle has been marked by the widespread use of cheap, easy-to-make AI deepfakes. In the US, voters received robocalls with an AI-generated voice of President Biden. In other countries, fake videos of candidates have circulated online.
This poses a direct threat to democracy by making it impossible for voters to trust what they see and hear. In response, tech companies are now requiring political ads to disclose the use of AI, but the cat-and-mouse game between creators and detectors is just beginning.
Source: Associated Press
