An AI-risk expert thinks governments should act to combat disinformation
An election may already have been swayed, says Philip Fox
ONE DAY last November, Olaf Scholz addressed the German people with an unexpected announcement: his government was to request the Federal Constitutional Court to ban the “fascist” Alternative für Deutschland, a far-right political party. A video containing the German leader’s message appeared on a website created specifically for that purpose.
Only it wasn’t the real Mr Scholz. A German group of guerrilla artists had used artificial intelligence (AI) to create a “deepfake”: an image or video generated by machine-learning software. Just a few hours after the clip went live, a government spokesman condemned the “manipulative” nature of such videos and their potential to “stir up uncertainty”.
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From the February 10th 2024 edition
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