sao paulo: AI-generated videos and photos used for political disinformation are the scourge of a busy global election year, with Brazil rushing to regulate the technology ahead of municipal polls.
Last week, authorities in Brazil, a country of 203 million with more mobile phones than people, banned the use of deepfake technology and set guidelines for the use of AI for election purposes.
Ana Carolina da Hora, a computer expert at PUC Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, told AFP: “Video montages can be used to manipulate public opinion, defame individuals and interfere in democratic processes.” he said.
The rapid development of AI, accelerated by the release of ChatGPT in 2022, has shaken up the online landscape and sparked awe about the future of technology.
In a video circulating on social media in Brazil, the country’s biggest pop star, Anitta, and soccer icon Neymar are seen promoting an online gambling scheme, or rather hyper-realistic deepfakes of celebrities. has been done.
But in a country hit hard by political disinformation, authorities are particularly alarmed by incidents like the one in which a mayor’s audio was duplicated to create an audio file insulting a local government teacher and shared on social media. are doing.
Similar cases are being investigated in two other states.
The High Electoral Court (TSE) decided to act. Last week, the use of deepfake technology was officially banned in local election campaigns in October.
Any use of other types of artificial intelligence for election purposes must be accompanied by a clearly identifiable notice to the public.
Candidates found to be using deepfake technology in their campaigns could be blocked from running or have their mandates revoked if elected.
TSE President Alexandre de Moraes said these are some of the “world’s most modern standards when it comes to combating disinformation, fake news and the misuse of artificial intelligence”.
He warned that deepfake technology could “change the outcome of elections.”
In Brazil, former President Jair Bolsonaro has been banned from holding office until 2030 on charges of abuse of power and abuse of the media after claiming without evidence that Brazil’s electoral system was unsafe.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in an interview with the RedeTV channel last week: “The fact is that humanity is becoming a victim of algorithms and is being manipulated by artificial intelligence in a way never before seen in history.” ” he said. .
Mr. Lula narrowly defeated Mr. Bolsonaro in the 2022 election that sharply divided the country, but local elections in October will be a key litmus test for his popularity.
U.S. experts are also wary of deepfake technology. Opponents of President Joe Biden recently released an AI-generated call using a voice similar to President Biden’s, urging people not to vote in the primary.
The nonprofit Center to Counter Digital Hate (CCDH) warned Wednesday that some generative AI tools continue to enable the creation of deceptive images related to political candidates and voting.
Last month, 20 digital giants including Meta, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, TikTok, and X joined together in a pledge to fight AI content designed to mislead voters.
They promised to use technology to combat potentially harmful AI content, such as watermarks that are invisible to the human eye but detectable by machines.
In Brazil, Congress has joined the debate, with Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco introducing a bill that he hopes will be approved in April to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in all aspects of life.
“There is no single solution to regulating artificial intelligence,” said Bruno Bioni, director of the data protection and digital rights organization Data Privacy Brazil. He emphasized that he would give.
He also highlighted the risks of discrimination related to AI facial recognition in countries where more than half of the population is black or mixed race. – AFP
