Unraveling the Unregulated Territory of AI-Powered Election Campaigns
As the world braces for a pivotal year of democracy, with nearly 70 elections slated to take place, a concerning trend has emerged – the infiltration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the political arena. From Indonesia to Pakistan, the use of AI-generated "softfakes" by political candidates is rapidly transforming the landscape of electoral campaigns, raising profound ethical concerns.
Softfakes, a term coined to describe AI-manipulated images, videos, and audio clips, are being employed by candidates to present a more appealing and likable persona to voters. These digital alterations, often created by the campaigns themselves, are a far cry from the malicious deepfakes associated with bad actors. Yet, their impact on the democratic process is no less disconcerting.
In Indonesia's recent presidential election, the winning candidate, Prabowo Subianto, heavily relied on AI-generated cartoonish avatars to rebrand himself as the "cuddly grandpa," effectively displacing allegations of his past human rights abuses. Furthermore, the use of deepfakes, including the virtual resurrection of Indonesia's deceased former president, Suharto, is believed to have contributed to Subianto's surprising victory.
Across South and Southeast Asia, the trend continues unabated. Nighat Dad, the founder of Pakistan's Digital Rights Foundation, has documented the widespread use of AI-written articles and deepfake videos by candidates in Bangladesh and Pakistan, humanizing them in ways they could not achieve in reality.
These developments raise profound questions about the future of democracy. As Rumman Chowdhury, the former director of the Machine Learning, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability (META) team at Twitter, explains, the concerns go beyond just misinformation or fake news. The very nature of political campaigning is being transformed, with candidates leveraging AI to craft an image that may not align with their true character or actions.
The path forward is not a simple one. Global guidelines and regulations around the appropriate use of generative AI (GAI) in elections are urgently needed, but striking the right balance between freedom of expression and democratic integrity is a delicate task. Content-generation companies, social media platforms, and election regulatory bodies all have a role to play in establishing and enforcing these rules.
Ultimately, the responsibility falls on us, the citizens, to develop a critical eye and a deep understanding of the potential pitfalls of AI-fueled election campaigns. We must resist the temptation to be swayed by the "cute" or "funny" softfakes and instead demand transparency, authenticity, and a true representation of the candidates' values and policies.
As the world watches the unfolding of this year's elections, the stakes have never been higher. The fate of democracy hangs in the balance, and the time to act is now.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00995-9
Comments
Post a Comment