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The world is unprepared for the impact of AI on a historic year of elections, experts have warned.
More than two billion people across 50 countries could head to the polls in 2024, which is a record high.
The UK is set to hold a general election, the US has a presidential election in November, and the world’s most populous country, India, will vote for its next prime minister.
It will be the first time some of the world’s biggest democracies have held a national vote since generative AI tools, including ChatGPT and image creators like Midjourney, went mainstream.
Martina Larkin, chief executive of Project Liberty, a non-profit seeking to promote internet safety, warned politicians were “at the top of the pyramid” when it comes to AI-driven misinformation.
Deepfakes, where high-profile figures are digitally cloned in realistic videos, are of particular concern.
US President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy have repeatedly fallen victim to such clips, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer‘s voice was cloned for nefarious purposes.
Ms Larkin said such misinformation could spread “at a much bigger scale” in the run-up to 2024’s elections.
UK government taking threat ‘very seriously’
Governments are considering how to regulate the technology, but some are moving faster than others.
Mr Biden unveiled proposals in October, which included mandating that AI-generated content be watermarked.
The EU has reached a deal on how to regulate AI, though it won’t take effect until 2025 at the earliest. The bloc holds parliamentary elections next year.
In the UK, the government has been cautious about the need…
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