AI supercharges threat of disinformation in a big year for elections globally

LONDON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide, making it easy for anyone with a smartphone and a devious imagination to create fake – but convincing – content aimed at fooling voters.

It marks a quantum leap from a few years ago, when creating phony photos, videos or audio clips required teams of people with time, technical skill and money. Now, using free and low-cost generative artificial intelligence services from companies like Google and OpenAI, anyone can create high-quality “deepfakes” with just a simple text prompt.

Experts warn AI and deepfakes will likely be worse in the coming elections

Here’s how governments and organizations are responding to the threat.

• In the U.S., the FCC outlawed AI-generated robocalls aimed to discourage voters.
• Major tech companies have signed an accord to prevent AI from being used to disrupt democratic elections worldwide.
• And a Davos report found AI-powered misinformation is the world’s biggest short-term threat.

AI-powered misinformation and disinformation is emerging as a risk as people in a slew of countries head to the polls. Read more on the 25 elections in 2024 that could change the world, and take a look at more of the AP’s global elections coverage.

A wave of AI deepfakes tied to elections in Europe and Asia has coursed through social media for months, serving as a warning for more than 50 countries heading to the polls this year.

“You don’t need to look far to see some people… being clearly confused as to whether something is real or not,” said Henry Ajder, a leading expert in generative AI based in Cambridge, England.

The question is no longer whether AI deepfakes could affect elections, but how influential they will be,