In what is being called a “tech pact,” major technology companies signal their readiness to work together to combat artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content that could threaten democratic elections around the world this year.
A draft of the agreement will be presented at the Munich Security Conference, which starts today, with companies including Meta, Microsoft, Google, TikTok, and OpenAI expected to announce details.
The agreement comes as 64 countries and the European Union plan to hold national elections this year.according to time magazineTwo billion voters will head to the polls around the world, representing approximately 49% of the world's population.
“In a critical year for global elections, technology companies are working on a deal to combat the deceptive use of AI to target voters.” Major tech companies said in a joint statement.. “Adobe, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok and more are working together to advance this common goal.”
The draft agreement's commitments include the creation of tools to aid identification, such as watermarks and detection technologies.deep fake“ Debunking that fallacy with the images and sounds of AI, and having more transparent conversations about how these tech giants are combating AI-generated information on their various platforms.” It also includes a promise.
But some in the technology community don't support the effort, saying it would draw attention away from regulating these large companies.
Meredith Whitaker, co-founder of the AI Now Institute, has reviewed the draft pledge and doesn't think these tech companies can be trusted to oversee themselves.
“Deepfakes don't mean much unless you have a platform that can spread them,” she said, adding that the pledge does nothing to solve the problem of social media platforms targeting specific voter groups. He pointed out that it would not be possible.
Political deepfakes are becoming more prevalent in various countries, including the US and UK. Recently, AI-generated deepfake robocall impersonating President Biden He called on New Hampshire voters to abstain from the primary election.
