Tech giants have pledged to curb the impact of AI selection in distress
On Friday, February 16, 20 tech companies developing artificial intelligence (AI) announced their commitment to prevent their software from influencing elections, including in the US.
The agreement acknowledges that the companies' products pose significant risks, especially in a year when nearly 4 billion people worldwide are expected to participate in elections. The document raises concerns about the integrity of electoral processes about deceptive AI election content and its potential to mislead the public.
The agreement acknowledges that global lawmakers have been slow to react to the rapid growth of generative AI, leading the tech industry to examine self-regulation. Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith backed this up in a statement:
“As society embraces the benefits of AI, we have a responsibility to help prevent these tools from being weaponized during elections.”
The pledge's 20 signatories include Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Amazon, Anthropogenic, ARM, Eleven Labs, IBM, Inflection AI, LinkedIn, McAfee, Meta, Nota, OpenAI, Snap, Stability AI, TikTok, TrendMicro, Truepic and more. X.
This is not a drill: we are in one of the most consequential election years in recent memory. Social media companies need to be wary of #AI damage.
Our statement: https://t.co/shTZEQIsVt
— Free Press (@freepress) February 16, 2024
However, the agreement is voluntary and does not go as far as completely banning AI content during elections. The 1,500-word document outlines eight steps for the companies to take this year. These steps include creating tools to distinguish AI-generated images from real content and ensuring transparency with the public about significant developments.
Free Press, an open internet advocacy group, said the commitment was empty hope. Tech companies have argued that after the 2020 election, they have not followed through on their previous promises for election integrity. The group supports increased oversight by human reviewers.
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New York's Ninth District Congresswoman Yvette Clark said she welcomes the technology deal and wants to see Congress build it. She emphasized the importance of the agreement.
“This could be a defining moment for this Congress, and a galvanizing issue for us to work together to protect this country and future generations of Americans.”
Clark also sponsored legislation to regulate deep fakes and AI-generated content in political ads.
On January 31, the Federal Communications Commission voted to ban AI-generated robocalls that contain AI-generated voices. This comes after a fake robocall claiming to be President Joe Biden before January's New Hampshire primary sparked widespread concern about the possibility of fake voices, images and videos in politics.
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