Thus, he says, it is imperative that technology creators implement transparent standards to ensure users can distinguish authentic media from manipulated media based on the disclosure of the use of AI in content creation.
Election year impact
A report from The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that monitors online hate speech, noted that tools from OpenAI and Microsoft could create fake images that could sway voters in an election year.
The nonprofit used generative AI tools to create images of US President Joe Biden lying in a hospital bed and election workers smashing voting machines, raising concerns about falsehoods ahead of the US presidential election in November.
"The potential for such AI-generated images to serve as 'photo evidence' could exacerbate the spread of false claims, posing a significant challenge to preserving the integrity of elections," CCDH researchers said in the report.
Aldridge adds that with both UK and US elections this year, it is imperative that deepfake generation and distribution of misleading imagery are curbed when it comes to political persuasion, for fear of it causing rife misinformation.
“In an era when advanced technology and political landscapes are merging, it has become more essential than ever for creators of this technology to adhere to stringent regulations and take comprehensive steps to prevent their misuse,” he says.
“There is a fertile technology landscape that could lead to very dangerous circumstances if used for bad – or indeed used to plot scams and targeted attacks.”
Aldridge believes that the collaboration between tech innovators, governments and cybersecurity experts is essential for developing accountability-enhancing regulatory frameworks.
“In the same way that society must be educated to defend against con artists, scammers, fraudsters and cyberattacks, now they must also be educated in the art of spotting misinformation, hate campaigns and influence campaigns which have all been given a massive shot in the arm by AI.
“Governments globally must take a lead role in this.”
