Hillary Clinton said in remarks on Tuesday that artificial intelligence (AI) and social media have “broken” how information spreads.
“Our information ecosystem is broken,” Clinton said at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.
“AI and social media are supercharging lies.”
This is not the first time the former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee has noted the potential risks widespread social media use and AI pose.
During an appearance on CNN last October, Clinton called for federal regulation of social media, particularly for the sake of children’s mental health.
“If the platforms, whether it’s Facebook or Instagram or TikTok or whatever they are, if they don’t moderate and monitor the content, we lose total control,” she said at the time.
And in November, 2023, the Aspen Ministers Forum — of which Clinton is a member — released a statement calling for international cooperation to “prevent unintended side effects of increasingly powerful AI systems, limit negative impacts on people’s day-to-day lives, and maximize the benefits to humanity.”
Clinton’s comments are a stark contrast to the Trump administration’s posture, particularly towards AI. In July, the White House released its AI policy framework, which calls for removing “onerous” regulations that restrict innovation in the industry.
Four states — Texas, California, Utah and Colorado — have laws governing AI, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Nine other states have active AI bills in their respective state legislatures.
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, though, some Republicans on Capitol Hill have called for content moderation on social media platforms. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called for the repeal of Section 230, which protects social media companies from responsibility for content published on their platforms.
Clinton has also pushed for Section 230’s repeal, and said Tuesday that people are “vulnerable to manipulation and deeper polarization” thanks to social media.
“Democracy requires a free media and the responsible use of technology,” she added.
According to a Pew Research Center report published last week, 53 percent of U.S. adults said AI will worsen people’s ability to think creatively, while 50 percent feel it will worsen people’s ability to form meaningful relationships with other people.
A clear majority of respondents, though, felt that AI should play some role in certain tasks, such as weather forecasting, searching for financial crimes and developing new medicines.
Additionally, an August 2024 study found a positive association between social media use and mental health conditions among American adolescents. The association was magnified for frequent users of social media.
