“They are compelling and convincing. They sound real. They look real. So there’s massive possibility for fraud.”

That’s what I said on NBC Nightly News in a recent feature on deceptive content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) technology — audio, imagery, and video known as “deepfakes” — being used to mislead voters and foment confusion around elections.

And here’s what I told The New York Times:

“Policymakers must rush to put in place protections or we’re facing electoral chaos.”

Last summer, Public Citizen formally petitioned the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to issue clear rules banning the use of deepfakes by federal candidates and political parties.

The FEC is the government watchdog that is *supposed* to safeguard the fairness and integrity of our elections.

But the agency is moving so slowly that rules may not be in place in time to prevent AI-generated deepfakes from wreaking havoc throughout this year’s presidential election.

AI-generated deepfakes threaten democracy as we know it:

• With Big Tech recklessly pumping out ever more powerful AI, we are rapidly getting to the point where everyday Americans, and even experts, won’t be able to distinguish what’s real from what’s fake.

• Without clear rules in place in time, AI-generated deepfakes could very well determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

• Equally as threatening to a functioning society, an onslaught of deepfakes could make voters feel so confused and powerless that millions essentially give up on our democracy altogether.

The FEC has the authority — and the responsibility — to take immediate action that will prevent AI-generated deepfakes from overrunning our democracy.

Tell the Federal Election Commission:

Deepfakes pose a significant threat to democracy as we know it. Your job is to safeguard our democracy from exactly these kinds of threats. We urge you to do your job and move forward — not later this year and not after it’s too late for the 2024 election, but right now — and issue clear rules banning the use of AI-generated deepfakes by federal candidates and parties.

Click to add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

For democracy,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
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