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

That’s what I told The New York Times in a story 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 said on NBC Nightly News:

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

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.

With Public Citizen leading the way, 15 states have already passed legislation — with bipartisan support — to minimize the chances of deepfakes undermining statewide elections.

And we formally petitioned the Federal Election Commission (FEC) — the government agency that is *supposed* to safeguard the fairness and integrity of our elections — to issue clear rules banning the use of deepfakes by national candidates and political parties.

But the FEC is dragging its feet, so rules may not be in place in time to prevent AI-generated deepfakes from wreaking havoc throughout the upcoming presidential election.

To the Federal Election Commission:

Why is the Federal Election Commission STILL dragging its feet on the threat that political deepfakes pose to the very core of our democracy? The FEC must act without further delay — before it is too late for the 2024 election — 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
 
 
Public Citizen | 1600 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20009 | Unsubscribe