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Greens senator David Shoebridge warns AI-generated scam videos could ‘steal the next election’ as fake news about the US presidential race floods social media.
The Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence has postponed its final report so it can study the impact of AI on the US presidential election.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s social media app xAI is being criticized for pushing conspiracy theories about voter fraud and stoking voter distrust with a barrage of disinformation.
Musk shared an AI-generated photo of Vice President Kamala Harris as a communist dictator, wearing a red uniform complete with a hammer and sickle hat.
Russia, China and Iran have also used “malicious cyber actors” to sow discord and shape the outcome of the US election to their own advantage, the ODNI, FBI and CISA said.
With millions of Americans heading to the polls in less than five days, Shoebridge says the potential impact of deepfake political material is deeply concerning.
“We’ve already seen federal politicians appear in AI-generated scam videos and it won’t be a surprise if this technology is also used for political scams.”
Australians could also see deepfake ads ahead of the next federal election without new laws restricting the use of AI-generated political material.
Some senators have argued that mandatory guardrails would only restrict free speech, while others said AI-generated messages could mislead voters or damage candidates’ reputations.
Shoebridge, vice-chair of the inquiry, said the US political landscape portends similar challenges for Australia.
“If you look at the US now you can see what will happen in Australia in May next year, so no politician can say they were not informed,” he said.
“The federal parliament cannot stand by and let scammers and deepfakes steal the next election, and the Greens stand ready to work across the aisle to fix this.”
An interim report calls on the federal government to implement voluntary codes regarding watermarking and legitimization of AI-generated content ahead of Australia’s next federal election.
The committee also recommended a review of possible responses to deepfake content, laws restricting the production or distribution of AI-generated political material, and that mandatory guardrails also apply to AI systems used in an electoral setting.
The parliamentary committee is expected to announce its final findings on November 26.
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