Bill Gates warns that AI can disrupt elections and sway close races.

Bill Gates Warns of AI Manipulating Elections

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has issued a warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) in manipulating elections. In a blog post on July 11, Gates expressed concerns that AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation could undermine democracy by influencing election outcomes.

“Deepfakes and misinformation generated by AI could undermine elections and democracy … AI-generated deepfakes could be used to try to tilt an election,” Gates said. “There are already phony videos that feature fabricated footage of well-known politicians. Imagine that on the morning of a major election, a video showing one of the candidates robbing a bank goes viral. It’s fake, but it takes news outlets and the campaign several hours to prove it.”

“How many people will see it and change their votes at the last minute? It could tip the scales, especially in a close election.”

The ability of AI to create realistic imagery makes it a powerful tool for spreading misinformation and influencing public opinion. As AI technology advances, it becomes easier to create high-quality content that can be targeted towards specific populations to sway their political preferences.

In recent years, there have been instances of fake AI imagery being used in political campaigns. For example, a video shared on Twitter showed images of former President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, which were later revealed to be deepfakes. Such incidents raise concerns about the potential impact of AI on elections.

Despite his concerns, Gates acknowledges that AI also has the potential to help identify and counter deepfakes. Companies like Intel and government agencies like DARPA are working on technologies to detect manipulated videos and audio.

Gates believes that with time, people will become more skeptical and learn to verify the authenticity of content, just as they have with email scams. He emphasizes the need to develop the ability to discern deepfakes and not be easily deceived.

Manipulating Elections with AI

In a commentary for The Epoch Times, Anders Corr, a principal at Corr Analytics Inc., explains how AI poses a threat to democratic systems. He highlights the potential of AI to influence political decision-making through micro-targeting and subtle propaganda.

OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has already implemented restrictions on the use of its AI tools for political campaigning or lobbying. Calls for legal restrictions on the use of AI in politics are growing, with organizations like Public Citizen urging the U.S. Federal Election Commission to ban political deepfakes.