Big Tech Pledges to Address ‘Deceptive’ AI in Elections

Major tech companies, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, have joined forces to combat deceptive artificial intelligence (AI) in elections. The companies have signed an agreement pledging to fight voter-deceiving content by deploying technology to detect and counter it. However, some experts argue that the voluntary pact will have limited impact on preventing harmful content from being posted. The Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections was announced at the Munich Security Conference and aims to address the challenges posed by AI in elections, with an estimated four billion people set to vote this year. The accord includes commitments to develop technology to mitigate risks related to deceptive election content, provide transparency to the public about actions taken by firms, share best practices, and educate the public on how to identify manipulated content. Signatories of the accord include social media platforms X (formerly Twitter), Snap, Adobe, and Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). However, critics argue that the accord lacks proactive action and nuance in defining harmful content. They also raise concerns about the potential for more realistic AI-generated content to stay on platforms for longer compared to obvious fakes that are easier to detect and remove. The accord aims to target content that deceptively alters the appearance, voice, or actions of key figures in elections and provides false information about voting.