Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced plans to establish a dedicated team aimed at addressing deceptive artificial intelligence (AI) content ahead of the upcoming EU elections scheduled for June.
On the same day that Home Secretary James Cleverly warned about the potential use of generative AI to deceive voters, an industry expert noted concerns about the efficacy of strategies to combat this issue. The BBC has sought clarification from Meta regarding their plans for the upcoming UK and US elections, following Meta’s recent agreement with other major tech firms to combat misleading content.
This development coincides with the announcement by social media platform TikTok about the launch of “Election Centres” in local languages for each of the 27 EU member states. In response, Meta’s head of EU affairs, Marco Pancini, outlined plans for an “EU-specific Elections Operations Centre” to proactively address potential threats across their platforms.
Pancini highlighted Meta’s significant investments in safety and security measures since 2016, including the expansion of their global team to 40,000 individuals, with 15,000 dedicated content reviewers proficient in over 70 languages. This collaborative effort involves experts from various fields within the company, including engineering, data science, and legal departments.
Deepak Padmanabhan from Queen’s University Belfast, co-author of a paper on elections and AI, has pointed out deficiencies in Meta’s announcement, suggesting that many aspects of its proposed strategy lack sufficient enforcement measures.
He particularly raises concerns about Meta’s approach to handling AI-generated images, which he believes may be inherently difficult to manage. Padmanabhan questions how Meta would address situations where realistic AI-generated images depict clashes between protesters and police. He emphasizes the challenge of proving such images to be fake, especially if there’s uncertainty about the events depicted.
In response, Meta, which currently collaborates with 26 fact-checking organizations in the EU, intends to expand its partnerships to include three more organizations from Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia to counter misinformation involving AI-generated elements. However, these partnerships focus on debunking misinformation rather than content aimed at suppressing voting, which is explicitly prohibited.
Meta plans to label such posts as potentially misleading, reduce their visibility, and prohibit them from being used in advertisements. Furthermore, ads are not allowed to cast doubt on the validity of elections, claim premature victory, or challenge electoral processes.
Meta emphasizes that its efforts are collaborative and necessitate ongoing coordination with other companies, governments, and civil society organizations. They stress the importance of establishing common standards and guidelines across the industry to address the prevalence of AI-generated content on the internet.
Read More: Google will address issues with its AI picture bot following criticism
Disclaimer:
This content is AI-generated using IFTTT AI Content Creator. While we strive for accuracy, it’s a tool for rapid updates. We’re committed to filtering information, not reproducing or endorsing misinformation. – Jomotoday for more information visit privacy policy
Leave a Comment