The election's coming up — but deepfake AI legislation isn't
Sep 19, 2024
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Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic Senator and a prominent advocate against AI dangers, discusses the urgent need for legislation on deepfakes in election campaigns. With elections approaching, she highlights the risks of disinformation and the lack of progress on critical bills. Klobuchar emphasizes the challenges of regulating deepfakes while respecting free speech and urges social media platforms to take greater responsibility. She also touches on bipartisan discussions around antitrust issues in tech, underscoring the necessity for balanced regulations.
Senator Klobuchar's proposed legislation aims to combat AI-generated deepfakes in political campaigns, highlighting urgent concerns about potential misinformation.
The discussion emphasizes the need for fair regulations in tech that promote competition while addressing antitrust issues affecting both established firms and startups.
Deep dives
Legislation to Combat AI Disinformation
Legislation has been proposed to address the potential dangers of AI disinformation in elections, specifically through two main bills. One bill aims to ban AI-generated deepfakes that impersonate federal candidates, while the other requires labels for political ads created using AI. Despite support from various platforms and bipartisan sponsorship, neither bill has yet passed in the Senate, raising concerns about the looming election and the potential for widespread misinformation. States have started taking action on similar issues, with 18 states implementing rules related to deepfakes and disclosure, reflecting a growing recognition of the problem.
The Threat of Foreign Interference
A significant concern highlighted is the escalation of foreign interference in election-related disinformation campaigns, particularly from nations like Iran and Russia. The discussion underscored that misinformation can manifest in various forms, exemplified by instances of fake images and audio intended to mislead voters. This type of disinformation is seen as damaging, often seeping into public perception and complicating the election landscape. The urgency to address these threats is elevated as election day approaches, prompting calls for tighter regulations and proactive measures from tech platforms.
Antitrust and Tech Regulation Insights
Antitrust issues are also a focus, with discussions surrounding the scrutiny of major tech companies under current legislative frameworks. These issues are not strictly partisan, as previous administrations have initiated actions against large tech firms to promote competition and protect consumers. Emphasis is placed on the importance of implementing fair regulations that don't just favor established players but also allow startups to thrive. The hope is that lessons learned from past regulatory challenges will guide the establishment of effective rules that address monopolistic behaviors while encouraging innovation in the tech industry.
POLITICO held its AI and Tech Summit earlier this week, where host Steven Overly sat down with Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. On today’s episode, we air that conversation. Klobuchar is one of the Senate’s leading Democratic voices warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence this election cycle; and as Senate Rules Committee chair, she introduced legislation that would ban AI deepfakes of candidates and require disclaimers for political ads made with AI. But with the election now weeks away, those rules still aren’t on the books — and it’s not likely there will be any movement before election day.