The world suddenly seems to be drowning in computer-generated “deepfake” content, which poses all sorts of risks and problems. Not just Taylor Swift.
Congress and regulators are now scrambling to rein in technology that has the potential to overturn elections and endanger national security.
Earlier this month, The Federal Communications Commission issued a ban. About unwanted robocalls generated by artificial intelligence (AI) after an AI-generated call featuring a fake voice of President Biden targeted voters in New Hampshire.
meanwhile, several states have passed legislation Regulation of AI in campaign advertising. And as expected, a divided Congress is struggling to keep things afloat. weigh a lot of banknotes But so far nothing can pass.
This is frightening because the threat is unimaginably wide-ranging. In elections, much of the focus is on Impersonation of candidates and politicians by AI. But you don’t even need to create a simulated candidate video to cause real harm.
Many other harmful “counterfeits” could be manufactured by bad actors seeking to damage the president’s re-election chances. For example, a fake stock market crash, fictitious mass layoffs in major industries, and furious workers blaming the regime. The list goes on.
While it is clear that action at all levels of government is desperately needed, it is also clear that it will not be enough for the 2024 elections. It is up to good government groups, campaigns and concerned communities themselves to bridge this gap.
If deepfakes cannot be stopped, we need to inoculate voters from being fooled by deepfakes.
clearly, More fulfilling civics education Education in public schools is an important part of the solution and is itself a systemic problem.
What we also need now is for organizations working to extract votes to be as dedicated to helping adult voters develop the skills they need to identify and reject deepfakes. It is to work on. That includes improving news literacy and critical thinking skills that tell people to check their sources and be skeptical if a message feels “off.”
We need to complement this effort by stepping up efforts to ensure voters have access to reliable information about polling places, voting times, and candidate rankings.
non-partisan League of Women Voters This has been going on for years and there are also new entries like Guide.Vote. But finding resources takes effort, and the responsibility of proactively disseminating information to people needs to be shared by a broader segment of the community.
I’m especially concerned about the black community. I’ve written before about the many obstacles to black voting, and disinformation is one of the most sinister.
Who can forget two white right-wing men? Agents covering the Midwest A fake robocall used a woman’s voice to tell Black voters not to vote in 2020 She calls herself “Tamika Taylor”?That’s kindergarten compared to what today’s perpetrators are capable of.?
There is an urgent need for organizations serving Black communities to join the fight against AI-generated voter disinformation and mass voter suppression.
An obvious resource is the black church. Many churches do a great job of getting votes with their voices. “Soul at the Voting Box” Campaign. We need to add serious efforts to inform and warn people about misinformation and provide links and access to reliable sources.
The threat of technology-enabled fraud in this year’s elections is game-changing, and not just because of breakthroughs in AI technology. We know that the political climate in our country is as follows. Increasing polarization And brutal.
On the other hand, Overton’s boundaries for unethical behavior in politics have been stretched so wide by Donald Trump that people like them. former member of parliament. George Santos (RN.Y.) is willing to jump over. Nothing surprises us anymore when it comes to corruption and dirty tricks on the part of politics.
And it’s right here at home.There is plenty of evidence that Russia will interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections On behalf of Trump. Is there any question that they are even more eager to do so now, given that President Trump has just hinted that he intends to do so? Give President Vladimir Putin a blank slate How to overrun Europe?
I think I know the answer. It’s time to get ready.
Mr. Svante Myrick american people.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
