Artificial intelligence: Tech companies want to prevent election manipulation through AI

Leading technology companies have committed to working together to combat election manipulation through artificial intelligence (AI). They want to prevent AI-generated content from affecting political elections worldwide. At the Munich Security Conference, representatives of 20 companies signed an agreement on cooperation in detecting and combating manipulated content.

The companies involved include companies such as Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, X and Adobe – as well as OpenAI, the company that developed the AI chatbot ChatGPT. Above all, the companies are targeting AI-generated audio, video and image files that deceptively imitate or change the appearance or voice of political candidates, election workers and other participants in democratic elections. The initiative also targets digital content that provides voters with false information about when, where and how elections will take place.

The USA in particular has recently had experience with manipulative AI content in ongoing election campaigns. There, during the primary election in the state of New Hampshire, a telephone robot urged people not to cast their vote with the vote of President Joe Biden. The voice generated by an AI was almost indistinguishable from the president’s real voice. Since then, the US communications regulator has banned automated advertising calls with AI voices.

AI tools should not become “weapons”.

Elections are the beating heart of democracies, said the head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, in view of the agreement. The tech companies’ statement is a crucial step to promote the integrity of elections, increase social resilience and create trustworthy tech practices.

The agreement is a step not only to protect elections, but also to protect opportunities created by AI, said Kent Walker, president of global affairs at Google parent Alphabet. “We must not allow digital misuse to threaten the chances of artificial intelligence to improve our economies, create new jobs and advance progress in health and science,” he said.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said the signatories of the agreement have a responsibility to ensure that AI tools are not weaponized. As part of the agreement, the companies involved want, among other things, to re-evaluate their AI models to understand risks they could pose in connection with fraudulent election content. The companies also want to help raise public awareness. The companies also want to promote greater media literacy in society.

Leading technology companies have committed to working together to combat election manipulation through artificial intelligence (AI). They want to prevent AI-generated content from affecting political elections worldwide. At the Munich Security Conference, representatives of 20 companies signed an agreement on cooperation in detecting and combating manipulated content.

The companies involved include companies such as Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, X and Adobe – as well as OpenAI, the company that developed the AI chatbot ChatGPT. Above all, the companies are targeting AI-generated audio, video and image files that deceptively imitate or change the appearance or voice of political candidates, election workers and other participants in democratic elections. The initiative also targets digital content that provides voters with false information about when, where and how elections will take place.

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