The legislators' broader goal is to prevent similar incidents from happening in the U.S. The urgency of the issue has been underscored by the rapid advancement in the quality of deepfakes, as demonstrated to the legislators by AI experts. The lawmakers are now trying to understand the implications of this technology in real time and establish necessary regulatory guardrails.
Key takeaways:
- State legislators across the U.S. are increasingly concerned about the potential for deceptive election ads created using artificial intelligence, and are working to tighten regulations.
- These concerns have been fueled by the increasing sophistication of 'deepfake' images and videos, which can convincingly depict individuals saying or doing things they never did.
- There is a particular urgency to address this issue as primary voters prepare to cast the first ballots in 2024.
- Examples of the potential harm caused by such deceptive ads include a case in Slovakia, where deepfake voice recordings may have influenced an election outcome, and an instance in Florida where fake A.I. images were used in a political campaign.