Staff Reports
A digital civil rights group warns that easily accessible artificial intelligence tools could be used to spread untrue information about elections, as the U.S. and European Union get ready for important votes. The group tested six popular AI voice-cloning tools and found that they created believable fake audio clips in the voices of well-known American and European politicians. The tests showed that the tools could generate convincing fake statements about election fraud, bomb threats at polling places, and other lies. The group’s CEO expressed concern about the companies behind these AI tools not putting enough safety measures in place to prevent the spread of false information.
Tests find AI tools readily create election lies from the voices of well-known political leaders WSOC TV #AIContentTools #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #ContentCreation [Video] A new report from a digital civil rights group has found that publicly… https://t.co/VK5UMuwA5n
— Emilia Brooks (@EmiBrooksAIMS) May 31, 2024
The research found that many of the AI voice-cloning tools lacked sufficient safeguards to stop the cloning of politicians’ voices or the production of election disinformation. In some cases, the tools could easily be manipulated to generate fake statements, even when there were initial barriers in place. One of the companies whose tools were tested responded, saying they are constantly working to improve their safeguards. However, the lack of regulation for these tools leaves voters at risk of being deceived during important democratic elections in the U.S. and E.U.
The misuse of AI-generated audio in attempts to influence elections has been observed in the past. In some instances, fake audio clips have been widely shared on social media to spread false information about political figures. The ease with which AI tools can create lifelike fake audio has raised concerns among experts and lawmakers. The CEO of the digital civil rights group called for tighter security measures and greater transparency from AI voice-cloning platforms. He also stressed the importance of lawmakers passing legislation to regulate the use of AI in elections and ensure minimum standards are in place to protect voters from disinformation.
In conclusion, the report highlights the potential threat that AI-generated audio poses to the integrity of elections and the importance of implementing measures to safeguard against the spread of false information. As the technology continues to advance rapidly, it is crucial for companies and lawmakers to address the risks and take action to protect democratic processes from manipulatio
