The Urgent Battle Against Deepfake Political Ads: Safeguarding Democracy in the Digital Age

To look at this article again, go to My Profile and then click on View saved stories.

By [Your Name]

The Unwilling Battle Against Deepfake Commercials

This week, a couple of events occurred that significantly heightened my concerns regarding artificial intelligence's influence on the American electoral process.

Initially, WIRED released an extensive report detailing the phenomenon where over 50 million deepfake audio calls, mimicking politicians and electoral candidates, were sent to Indian voters. This represents a significant number of deepfakes, leading to confusion among the electorate who mistook these for genuine communications.

Secondly, this week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) disclosed plans to deliberate on fresh regulations for AI-generated advertisements, coming shortly after its prohibition of artificial robocalls. (AI-generated ads refer to those advertisements produced or modified through artificial intelligence.) One might wonder, why does the FCC stand as the sole governmental body to have sanctioned new regulations on AI and election-related issues within this year? The recent elections in India should serve as a cautionary tale for the United States to hasten its regulatory efforts. Yet, it appears the FCC is the only agency taking action.

Let's discuss this topic.

Politics is currently navigating through its most peculiar and digital era. The WIRED Politics Lab serves as your navigator amidst the whirlwind of radicalism, conspiracy theories, and false information.

Time is TicAI-allcreator.com">king for the US to Eliminate AI-Manipulated Campaign Commercials

Recall the instance when the Republican National Committee unveiled a campaign commercial created through artificial intelligence to criticize Biden? Or the moment when a super PAC supporting Florida governor Ron DeSantis shared an AI-powered advertisement impersonating ex-president Donald Trump? Nearly a year has passed since the release of these commercials, yet no fresh legislation has been introduced to regulate AI-generated advertisements, in spite of the initial uproar.

In the previous year, Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, initiated a series of discussions involving various stakeholders and prominent figures in the AI sector. The objective was to address potential problems associated with generative AI technology. A key focus for Schumer was to safeguard U.S. election integrity from potential disruptions caused by this technology before the November elections. He has published a report and urged his fellow senators to legislate based on its recommendations, though little progress has been made beyond these actions.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may not have the same breadth of powers as Congress, but it has been the more proactive entity between them. In response to an incident involving a robocall in New Hampshire that mimicked President Joe Biden using generative AI, the FCC imposed a ban on such practices in February. Escalating its efforts, on Wednesday, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel suggested an expansion of this policy. She recommended that political advertisements on broadcast TV, radio, and certain cable networks be required to reveal the use of artificial or manipulated content.

"Amid the growing availability of artificial intelligence technologies, the Commission aims to ensure that consumers are well aware when such tech is utilized," stated Rosenworcel. "I have presented a proposal to my peers today that emphasizes the consumers' entitlement to understand when AI tools are employed in the political advertisements they encounter, and I am optimistic about quick action being taken on this matter."

Authored by Carlton

By [Your Name]

Crafted by Andy

Crafted by Scott Gilbertson

This is all positive, yet voters are likely to come across a higher number of digital fabrications on the internet than on traditional broadcast platforms. Additionally, for digital advertisements, no solutions have been provided by the government.

The advocacy organization Public Citizen has approached the Federal Election Commission, urging it to establish regulations similar to those of the FCC for political advertisements across all platforms. However, the commission has not yet taken action. According to a report by the Washington Post in January, the FEC is expected to reach a decision by the onset of summer. Yet, with summer fast approaching, there has been little update on the matter. Meanwhile, the Senate Rules Committee approved three pieces of legislation aimed at governing the application of artificial intelligence in election campaigns, including mandatory disclosures, earlier in the month. Despite this progress, there is no guarantee that these bills will be debated on the Senate floor in a timely manner to effect any real change.

For those feeling anxious, there are merely 166 days left until the presidential election. This leaves a limited timeframe to finalize any matters concerning AI disclosures, particularly as the Biden and Trump campaigns, along with numerous other candidates, are poised to significantly increase their advertising spend on social media platforms.

In the absence of formal rules, the onus of safeguarding our electoral processes against false information largely falls on technology firms. This scenario doesn't seem to mark a significant departure from what we experienced in 2020, and I share that sentiment. While the challenge appears novel, the same key players are at the forefront. Meta announced in November that political advertisements need to carry warnings if they utilize AI-generated material. Although TikTok bans political advertisements, it mandates that users identify AI-generated content when posting synthetic representations that include lifelike photos, sounds, and videos.

What if a significant error occurs? It's conceivable that figures like Mark Zuckerberg and various tech company leaders might be summoned to testify before Congress. However, the chances of them facing any regulatory repercussions prior to the election happening are slim.

A significant amount is on the line, and time is quickly dwindling. Should Congress or any regulatory body decide to provide direction, they must act within the upcoming months. Failing to do so could render the whole endeavor pointless.

The Chat Space

In the concluding segment of this week's podcast, we encouraged our audience to share their thoughts on how engaging with political content online has evolved for them since the previous presidential election. Are you directly visiting news websites for the latest on elections? How is your interaction with X/Twitter holding up? Or perhaps you're now following newsletters similar to ours? We're eager to hear your stories!

Post your thoughts in the comment section below, or reach out to me directly via email at mail@wired.com.

🗨️ Share your thoughts in the comment section underneath this piece.

WIRED Digest

Interested in exploring further? Get unlimited access to WIRED by subscribing today.

Additional Reading Recommendations

🔗 Exploring the Simplicity of Programming A.I. Chatbots to Distribute False Information: The New York Times conducted an experiment by developing two chatbots, each aligned with opposite political ideologies—one liberal and the other conservative. These bots were programmed to generate biased responses to political inquiries, mimicking the tone and manner in which individuals often communicate on the internet. (The New York Times)

🔗 Positive Outlook on Biden's Support Among Youth: Despite a dip in polling numbers among young voters compared to 2020, the situation might not be as bleak as it appears. (The Atlantic)

🔗 OpenAI Reveals All: Scarlett Johansson's powerful reaction to OpenAI's latest voice technology highlights the firm's relentless data consumption. (The Atlantic)

The Scoop

Allow me a moment to proudly rave about my workspace, my apologies in advance. This week, our podcast on political analysis from WIRED made it into the top 20 of Apple Podcast's news category. Additionally, it was highlighted as one of the top picks of the week on Amazon Music!

This week, I've returned to the podcast alongside Leah and David to discuss the definitive conclusion of Twitter (now called X, which is quite irksome), what lies ahead for online political discourse, and how all of this is connected to the New York–Dublin Portal. Tune in to find out more!

Finally, an essential aspect of creating quality content is understanding when you're not fully informed.

That wraps up today's update—thank you for your subscription. To contact me, feel free to reach out through email, Instagram, X, and Signal at makenakelly.32.

Explore Election Period with Our WIRED Politics Lab Newsletter and Podcast

She introduced ChatGPT to President Biden, influencing the direction of AI development.

Laser weaponry is on the brink of making its debut in military combat operations

When a novelist specializing in love stories finds themselves unable to access Google Docs

Ease the strain on your spine: Discover the top desk chairs we've evaluated

Kelly Makena

Elliott Vittoria

Kelly Makena

Kelly Makena

Kelly Makena

Dhruv Mehrotra

Leah Feiger

Staff at WIRED

Additional Content from WIRED

Evaluations and Instructions

© 2024 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. A share of revenue from products bought via our website may go to WIRED, thanks to our Affiliate Partnerships with retail partners. Content from this site cannot be duplicated, shared, broadcasted, stored, or utilized in any form without explicit consent from Condé Nast. Choices regarding advertisements.

Choose a global website