RENO, Nev. (COLO) – AI tools can create realistic fake images, audio clips, and even videos with surprising efficiency. And it's already begun, showing potential for what voters may find themselves in as the 2024 general election approaches.
Ahead of the New Hampshire primary, a robocall impersonating President Joe Biden called voters and urged them not to vote. The message reads: “It's important to save your vote for the November election. Only by voting this Tuesday can the Republican Party aim to re-elect Donald Trump. Instead, we'll make a difference in November.'' Lists of phone numbers can be easily purchased from data brokers, so it's unclear how many people received calls and what types of voters were targeted. It's not clear.
The rise in other robocalls and deepfakes is also alarming election officials across the country. It even caught the attention of Nevada State Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. In her statement released to KOLO 8 News Now, she said:
“With the rise of AI and other technologies, it is more important than ever to combat the spread of disinformation, especially when it comes to elections.” We have already passed legislation and will continue to work to ensure the emerging AI and other technology industries grow responsibly.”
Although proposals are in progress, no federal regulations have been enacted at this time. But as Vegas-based engineer Gal Ratner says, engineers saw this happening far away and don't think the Internet should be regulated at all.
“It's not about the technology. Technology is always evolving, and it's about who runs it,” Ratner said.
If regulated, Big Tech lobbyists may be able to influence regulation in their favor. Meta's lead AI executive recently called for “massive corporate lobbying” against Google aimed at influencing regulations around the world.
“People need to understand that their cell phones are weapons and treat them as such,” Ratner warns.
There is no question that AI can be used for heinous purposes. Deepfakes can fool anyone, and misinformation is already rampant. Ratner says these problems existed long before AI tools, but now they just look different.
“Since the beginning of the nation, there have been intelligent services, there have been spies. The Internet has only made it more transparent,” Ratner said.
According to Ratner, AI is not the problem, but rather a lack of education.
“This isn't the '70s. Everything we see and hear may be fake,” Ratner says.
The AI genie is not going back in the bottle, and if regulation does happen, it won't happen before the 2024 election. Ratner suggests an old-fashioned approach. These include reverse image searches to see where an image has been previously posted online and whether it comes from a legitimate source, as well as how and where the content was created. , and even simple story verification that asks if people engaging with your content are who they say they are. .
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