The article also discusses the threat of bots on social media, which can amplify disinformation and skew public opinion at rapid rates. Tech companies are deploying algorithms to detect and shut down bot networks, but the author suggests a more proactive approach of verifying the identity of users during account creation to prevent bots from infiltrating platforms. The author concludes that while AI presents a real risk, these threats can be addressed through a combination of policy, identity and content verification protections, and consumer education.
Key takeaways:
- AI-fueled misinformation and disinformation are a growing concern, with over half of Americans worried about AI being used to spread misleading information about the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign.
- Deepfakes and social media bots are two key concerns. Deepfakes exploit the vulnerabilities of someone's likeness to mislead the public, while bots can amplify disinformation and skew public opinion at rapid rates.
- Measures to combat these threats include detecting and flagging AI-generated content, watermarking or labeling AI-generated content, and incorporating identity verification to confirm the legitimacy of someone's identity before allowing them to manipulate images or videos.
- While AI presents a real risk, these threats can be addressed through a combination of policy, identity and content verification protections, and consumer education. However, all these approaches need to be used together to effectively tackle the problem.