Havas Media UK’s Post

🗣✏️ Laws need to force transparency in how AI models are trained and deployed, and require disclosure for when they are used in political campaigning. The worry is that the pace at which the technology is advancing is outpacing efforts to safeguard the public. Social media platforms must be held accountable for disinformation spread. Companies like X, Meta and Alphabet have downsized teams dedicated to integrity, hindering proactive disinformation countermeasures. Tough new laws are needed to force these tech monoliths to tackle disinformation and force transparency in algorithms and political ad targeting. Proactive strategies like pre-bunking (teaching people to spot fake news) and rapid response strategies are essential to combat election interference. Media outlets also need to learn from past mistakes and balance truthful reporting with free speech, avoiding the “false balance” trap of amplifying disinformation from populist politicians masquerading as legitimate discourse. Finally, we must find ways to tackle the echo chambers and conspiracy theories that threaten to derail social cohesion. Gaining back public trust in institutions such as the mainstream media and government is not going to be easy. https://lnkd.in/dgkKRkbs

In a recent trends post*,  I wrote of how campaigning-techniques honed in #elections have previously found their way into the corporate sector, and that the same will hold true again this year with #ai . Beyond the well-chronicled scope for deep-fakes + mistrust (fears that will will only deepen after the fake Biden robocalls last week in New Hampshire), a key thread of #AI will be faster, more responsive comms. This article is one of the best I’ve seen exploring the techniques it could drive: ⚡ Faster media operations – from tailored press releases to video adverts; 💭 Virtual focus groups + message testing 🤖 Chatbot interventions in social media channels; 👁️🗨️ ‘Bubble-of-one’ communications   🎯 Data targeting and media buying It also highlights many more areas for concern. I suspect innovation will drive many more capabilities this year, but for now this one is worth a read. - - - - - - - -- - - - * If you missed the original comms trends post, you can find it here: https://lnkd.in/eTXDJ9uY

Political campaigns need to be prepared as artificial intelligence is utilized to launch attack ads and the like to alter public opinion. If they are not proactive, campaigns will likely to be hit harder. They will also need to be ready with quick and effective responses to misinformation. #proactive #politics #artificialintelligence #ai #elections2024 #misinformation https://lnkd.in/edBGFU2n

Half of US citizens expect misinformation spread by AI to impact who wins the 2024 election — and one-third say they'll be less trusting of the results because of artificial intelligence https://lnkd.in/ebPJw8K5   AI can “dramatically increase the scale and potentially the effectiveness of behavior manipulation and microtargeting techniques that political campaigns have used since the early 2000s.” https://lnkd.in/eauCsM8K   Researchers found Microsoft’s chatbot on Copilot provided false and misleading information about European elections. https://lnkd.in/egAJaUF7   Microsoft’s AI Chatbot Replies to Election Questions With Conspiracies, Fake Scandals, and Lies https://lnkd.in/ej3fCNSX    

Policymakers around the world are worrying over how AI-generated disinformation can be harnessed to try to mislead voters and inflame divisions ahead of several big elections next year. Pro-government news outlets and influencers in Bangladesh have in recent months promoted AI-generated disinformation created with cheap tools offered by artificial intelligence start-ups. #artificialitellegence #deepfake #politics

Majority of American adults believe AI will contribute to election misinformation in 2024 survey. #AIelections 🤝 Follow us on Discord 🔜: https://lnkd.in/gt823Zd3 _ ❇️ Summary: A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy reveals that the majority of adults in the U.S. believe that the rapid advancement of AI tools will increase the spread of false and misleading information during the 2024 presidential election. Only 6% of respondents believe that AI will decrease the spread of misinformation, while one-third say it won't make much of a difference. Both Republicans and Democrats agree that using AI to create false or misleading media for political ads would be a bad thing. There is also skepticism regarding the reliability of information from AI chatbots, with just 5% of respondents saying they are extremely or very confident in its accuracy. Furthermore, Americans believe that preventing AI-generated misinformation is a shared responsibility between technology companies, the news media, social media companies, and the federal government. Hashtags: #chatGPT #AIelectionMisinformation #TechnologyMisinformingElections

𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙨: 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖, 𝘼𝙄, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖'𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 As India gears up for the celebration of democracy, with the destinies of 1.3 billion people hanging in the balance, it's evident that social media has played a pivotal role in shaping past elections. However, as we approach the 2024 elections, a new player has entered the arena: artificial intelligence (AI). The accessibility of the internet, even in the remotest Indian villages, coupled with affordable high-speed internet and freely accessible social media platforms, has revolutionized voter outreach. But with the integration of AI into social media, the stakes have been raised. We've already seen the impact with the circulation of a deep fake video of the Indian Prime Minister, underscoring the potential threat to democracy. This presents a grave threat to democracy, as it can be exploited to manipulate voters and sway their behavior. 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀: The surge of social media has posed unparalleled challenges to democracy. Despite government efforts, its regulation remains inadequate, enabling AI-powered algorithms to shape political strategies. This worsens the formation of echo chambers, restricting voter exposure to diverse perspectives and aiding the spread of fake news, which can polarize opinions and stir up tensions. Additionally, the merging of AI and social media opens doors for external interference, jeopardizing the integrity of the electoral process. 𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲: Despite the challenges, AI and social media offer a brighter future for democracy. The adoption of technology-driven voting systems like EVMs and Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) showcases progress. Initiatives by the Election Commission, such as online voter registration and digital voter lists, demonstrate the power of technology. Leveraging AI and social media can enhance outreach, raise awareness, and address grievances. 📌 The Election Commission can use social media to share crucial information like voter registration deadlines and polling schedules, engaging first-time voters and marginalized communities. 📌 AI-powered chatbots can streamline grievance redressal, while fact-checking tools can combat misinformation, ensuring a healthier democratic process. 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱: Navigating the complexities of regulating social media usage in a vast country like India is daunting, but we must seek solutions. While AI and social media may challenge democratic principles, they also offer unprecedented opportunities for efficiency and engagement. Achieving a balance between these advancements and democratic values requires careful consideration and ethical scrutiny. 𝙋𝙎: These are just my 2 cents! #politics #Trustandsafety #AI #misinformation #Disinformation

As we approach upcoming elections around the world, the role of AI in shaping political outcomes will become a pressing concern. The 2016 US presidential election, significantly impacted by Cambridge Analytica’s data practices, is a stark reminder of the power of digital manipulation. The Netflix documentary, The Great Hack, highlighted how voter data was weaponized to influence public opinion and sway the results. In India, AI and deepfake technology are creating new challenges. Recently, deepfake videos have blurred the lines of reality, making it increasingly difficult to discern fact from fiction. The BBC's report on this phenomenon reveals how sophisticated AI-generated content can mislead the public, potentially influencing voter behaviour and trust in the democratic process. Deepfake videos, like the viral Tom Cruise ones, showcase the unsettling potential of this technology. These convincing but false portrayals raise the spectre of fake endorsements or statements from public figures, which could drastically alter public perception and decision-making during elections. Audrey Tang, Taiwan's digital minister, has pioneered an innovative approach to combating misinformation and disinformation, emphasising openness, transparency, and civic participation. Tang’s efforts include systems for citizens to flag suspected misinformation to fact-checkers, encouraging social media platforms to downrank false content, and advocating for "radical transparency" in political advertising. Her strategies highlight the importance of empowering civil society and fostering digital public spaces for dialogue (https://lnkd.in/eEFFv_ji, https://lnkd.in/ehjTtyga). Adding to the discourse, UK comedian Joe Lycett recently revealed how he successfully planted fake news into the media, showcasing how easily misinformation can spread (https://lnkd.in/eWYzSebr). In his show, the audience, in a light-hearted manner, often mistook real events for fake, underscoring the blurred lines between reality and fiction in today’s media landscape. As AI technology continues to advance, it is imperative for society to develop critical thinking skills and media literacy. We must question the authenticity of the information we consume and remain vigilant against attempts to manipulate our perceptions. With the upcoming general election in the UK and the US election later this year, will we rise to the challenge and safeguard the integrity of our elections, or will we allow AI-driven misinformation to erode the foundations of democracy? Let’s hope we choose the path of critical awareness and informed decision-making. Scott Hayden AI In Education Chris Goodall #AI #Elections #Deepfakes #CriticalThinking #Democracy #AudreyTang

Consistently separating actual threat from stochastic noise is (IMHO) rendered all but impossible, at #scale. A lot of the discussions I read on this topic are focussed on technical solutions. A problem with this being that every internet-connected #brain is now (and perhaps always and already was) in the trenches of an information war that is as persistent and ubiquitous as it is unscrupulous and #volatile. Scaled (qualitative) systems analysis inevitably operates at or on the macrostate while #technical interdictions are microstate phenomena. The point? Technical solutions may be a best current solution but they inadvertently add to the combinatorial complexity (as #entropy) of the overall communications system. That's one side of the equation... ...on the other side of this, there is a notion that adversarial actors in this space may themselves be inadvertently vulnerable as a function of their growing #dependency on active measures of seeded deception and doubt. Flip the script. If the thing we are trying to stop is also the distributed broadcast channel and critical dependency of a disruptive adversary, we have more #policy gambits than doubling down on technical waypoints that "simply" inflate and complicate the overall problem space.

AI is changing Election Campaigns Did you know Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making big waves in how election campaigns are run in the U.S.? It's all about getting personal and smart in campaigns with technology that - Sends messages that really speak to what voters care about - Creates virtual avatars for politicians. Imagine getting a call or seeing a video from a campaign that feels like it’s just for you! I've just written an article that breaks down how AI is doing all this cool stuff in campaigns, with examples of AI like Ashley, the smart phone volunteer, and Palmer AI, a talking avatar, making campaigns smarter and more personal. We have also got to think about the right and wrong ways to use AI, especially when it comes to fake videos/images that look super real. Check out my full article and let's start a conversation on how to use AI responsibly in our elections : https://lnkd.in/gdkUQpvx #artificialintelligence #elections2024 #ethicalai #genaitrends