Can Tech Companies Protect Elections from AI-Powered Manipulation?

The rise of generative AI tools has made it easier for individuals and large organizations to produce misinformation at scale, raising concerns about its impact on the upcoming elections. While tech companies are implementing measures to prevent and detect false content, there are doubts about whether they will be enough to combat this issue.

Why Should Businesses Care?

The effects of AI-powered manipulation are not limited to politics, as it also has the potential to erode trust in advertising. This is especially concerning for younger consumers, who are increasingly becoming distrustful of ads due to the rise of "fake news" and anti-vaccination campaigns. The spread of political misinformation can also have a ripple effect on other topics, further damaging consumer trust.

Recent Steps Taken to Protect Elections

As the Iowa caucuses marked the start of the U.S. primary season, tech company OpenAI announced new measures to protect voters. They have prohibited the use of their tools for political campaigning and lobbying, which includes creating chatbots that impersonate candidates and other real people. Other companies, such as Google and Meta (Facebook's parent company), have also taken steps to restrict election-related queries and the use of AI advertising tools for political campaigns.

However, these actions only apply to specific companies and their products. It is important to note that generative AI tools are freely available and cannot be regulated, making them vulnerable to being used and abused by state and non-state actors to manipulate elections.

What Businesses Can Do

While tech companies are taking steps to tackle this issue, businesses can also play a role in mitigating misinformation. OpenAI is banning apps that discourage voting and directing voters to reliable sources for information on voting. Google is requiring political ads with significant AI content to have warning labels, and it is important for businesses to educate the public about what generative AI can do to help them assess the reliability of information online.

It is crucial for society to understand the capabilities of generative AI tools, and businesses can contribute by educating their employees and customers. Unfortunately, this may not be enough to prevent AI-powered manipulation in the upcoming elections, as high-stakes elections are being held in over 50 countries this year.

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Originally reported by Martech: https://martech.org/can-tech-companies-protect-elections-from-ai-powered-manipulation/
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