AI developers are sounding the alarm. They warn that the rapid advancement and widespread use of this technology risks ushering in an “epistemological dystopia”, one that threatens the very foundations of representative democracy.
AI deepfake and politics
Hany Farid, a generative AI expert at the University of California, Berkeley, emphasized the high stakes on political campaigns. This is where state-sponsored actors, campaigns, trolls, supporters, and PACs all vie to gain the upper hand through any means necessary.
During testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman labeled AI’s capacity to generate personalized disinformation as one of his most profound concerns.
A United Nations adviser went so far as to express deep apprehension about the possibility of a deepfake October surprise.
The manipulation of media to mislead voters is not a new concept, and it doesn’t necessarily require AI. Campaign attack ads have a long history of employing unflattering imagery and creative editing to cast opponents as shifty-eyed deceivers.
