Artificial Intelligence to Help Win Electoral Battles
By
Asad Mirza, New Age Islam
5 March
2024
The Fast Progress of AI And Generative AI In
Recent Years Has Opened Many New Frontiers for The Humans to Scale New Heights in
Various Fields, But A Darker Side of The Generative AI Might Be Used for
Divisive Purposes in Global Electoral Battles In 2024.
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AI is capable of almost anything, from predicting patterns to creating
images, like this one.
Image: Bing Image Creator
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The manner
in which the information technology has outpaced even our wildest dreams is
manifest in the fast-paced growth of AI in technically all fields of human
existence.
The manner
in which AI-generated content that can impersonate anyone with alarming
accuracy has also set the alarms bells ringing. This when coupled with how this
technological advancement could be misused for unlawful activities I also very
scary.
One domain
which could be affected the most in particular using this technology is the
manner in which it could be deployed political parties to influence their
voters or malign their opponents.
This
technological advancement is known as Deepfakes. While developers could argue
that their technology is evolving and mistakes are inevitable, the rapid rise
of deepfakes, particularly those used for sexual harassment, fraud, and
political manipulation, poses an existential threat to democratic processes and
public discourse.
Deepfakes
could be exploited for non-consensual exploitation, financial deception,
political disinformation or the dissemination of falsehoods, and they could
endanger not only the integrity of individuals but also the very foundations of
democratic societies.
Further,
they corrode trust, manipulate public sentiment, and have the potential to
incite widespread chaos and violence. From 2019 to 2023, the total number of
deepfakes surged by 550%, as revealed in the 2023 State of Deepfakes report
issued by Home Security Heroes, a US-based organisation.
With
elections slated in more or less half of the world, the potential for deepfakes
to sow discord and undermine trust in institutions is more significant than
ever. Various efforts are underway to combat this threat. Initiatives like the
“Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections” at the recently
held Munich Security Conference (MSC) represent a commendable effort to
confront the challenges presented by deepfakes in electoral processes.
By uniting
leading tech companies, the accord presents a unified stance against malicious
actors, showcasing a shared determination to address the issue. Beyond mere
detection and removal, the agreement encompasses educational initiatives,
transparency measures, and origin tracing, laying the groundwork for
comprehensive and enduring solutions.
However,
the accord’s focus on the 2024 elections may overlook the on-going evolution of
the deepfake threat, potentially necessitating adjustments beyond the specified
timeframe.
The
efficacy of the accord also hinges on its ability to keep pace with the latest
advancements. While the accord establishes guiding principles, it lacks
concrete mechanisms for enforcement. Ensuring accountability among
participating companies is essential for meaningful progress. Relying on
self-regulation from tech companies raises concerns about potential biases in
implementation, underscoring the need for transparent and impartial oversight.
The era of
the deepfake campaign has already begun. And as generative AI gathers ubiquity
and sophistication, the fraying of social cohesion throughout the West in
recent years may soon feel quaint by comparison. Rather than stoke outrage,
tribalism, and conspiratorial thinking among voters, these new digital tools
might soon breed something arguably much worse: apathy.
Indian
Scenario
Deepfakes
used to spread misinformation online using treacherous role of a rapidly
evolving AI technology are particularly lethal for countries like India.
The concern
stems from some of the recent deepfake incidents. The concerns come after a
series of recent deepfake incidents involving top Indian film stars and public
figures. This prompted the government to work out a “clear, actionable plan” in
collaboration with various social media platforms, artificial intelligence
companies and industry bodies to tackle the issue.
Reportedly,
PM Narendra Modi has said that deepfakes were one of the biggest threats faced
by the country, and warned people to be careful with new technology amid a rise
in AI-generated videos and pictures.
Meanwhile,
Global Risks Report released by World Economic Forum in January 2024, warns
that as polarisation grows and technological risks remain unchecked, ‘truth’
will come under pressure Emerging as the most severe global risk anticipated
over the next two years, foreign and domestic actors alike will leverage
misinformation and disinformation to further widen societal and political
divides.
The report
further says that as close to three billion people head to the electoral polls
across several economies – including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico,
Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States – over the next two years,
the widespread use of misinformation and disinformation, and tools to
disseminate it, may undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments.
The
resulting unrest could range from violent protests and hate crimes to civil
confrontation and terrorism. Misinformation and disinformation is a new leader
of the top 10 rankings this year. No longer requiring a niche skill set,
easy-to-use interfaces to large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) models have
already enabled an explosion in falsified information and so-called ‘synthetic’
content, from sophisticated voice cloning to counterfeit websites.
Moreover,
in Western countries in particular, an even deeper governance issue might be
playing even now. Basically, AI may also accelerate a decades-long erosion of
civic engagement and social capital, particularly in liberal democracies -
where citizens tend to be more secular and self-oriented and have smaller
family networks than in other societies, like in the East.
It is
predicted that Generative AI will lead to even greater social fissures, by
allowing more and more individuals to bypass complex human interactions and
exchanges and contests of ideas that form the bedrock of democracy. In this
background, the generative AI might echo your thoughts and will tell you what
you want to hear, putting a complete end to human interactions, grasp and
execution.
This
highlights the darker side of the generative AI in future yet to come. The
citizen’s ideals, inputs and actions might be marred at the local, national and
international issues and may force them to completely opt out of the normal
civic life, by creating a false picture in their minds, akin to human being
controlled by machines, though in the democratic scenario it will be the
political leaders not machines, who’ll control the electorate through false
narratives.
Thus, it
may portend an end of human intervention at all levels in all fields and
manipulative leaders could use the generative AI to create empathy in their
favour amongst the wider electorate and thus influence the outcome of electoral
battles in a completely corrupt manner.
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Asad Mirza is a Delhi-based senior political and
international affairs commentator
URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/artificial-intelligence-electoral-battles/d/131850
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