Artificial Intelligence: Possible Threat to Democracy?

 According to an opinion piece by Nikolas Lanum published by Fox News, UN advisor Neil Sahota is highly concerned about the threat posed by artificial intelligence (AI) to the 2024 presidential election. AI, which is actually a misnomer, is the term used to describe the recently developed, highly sophisticated and realistic algorithms which interact with real people in online spaces such as social media. One could easily mistake an AI generated account for the account of another real human being, when in reality, the account is generated specifically to engage with the user in a manner in which they would find inconspicuous. According to the article, Sahota fears that AI may be employed by special interest groups, corporations, or even by campaigns to engage in large-scale misinformation campaigns. In particular, the article references a recent deepfake (an AI generated video of a human) wherein former Senator Hilary Clinton endorsed Ron DeSantis, a republican candidate, for president. The deepfake garnered heavy amounts of interaction, before finally being dealt with by social media platforms. Social media companies, despite their best efforts, are having an extremely difficult time pruning these AI accounts without accidentally banning real users. Because of this conflict, Sahota theorizes that AI could become a prominent tool and real threat to democratic processes in both America and the rest of the free world. What do you, the readers think? Have you encountered AI misinformation on social media? If so, did you have success in identifying AI when you encountered it? Furthermore, do you find validity in Sahota's fear? If so, what actions should be taken to prevent AI from becoming a political weapon?

UN advisor says AI may have ‘massive’ impact on voters: 2024 will be the ‘deepfake election’ (msn.com)

Comments

  1. Max VillarrealSeptember 10, 2023 at 8:50 PM

    AI is most definitely scary! I can see why people see it as a threat to democracy. It's such a powerful tool that many will abuse. I haven't really thought much about how it can be used to spread misinformation which is really scary to think about. I really think we should place limitations on AI and not let it get out of control. Deepfakes specifically are what scare me the most about AI. Really enjoyed this post and brought light to me some new things!

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