Experts are warning voters to be on the lookout for misinformation being spread through artificial intelligence-generated images.
Few rules exist at the state or local level, and voters in other countries have been inundated with so-called deep-fakes as their election days have approached.
“Generative AI is great at making up things,” University of Connecticut Professor Michael Lynch said.
Lawmakers in Connecticut and elsewhere have tried to reign in the use of artificial intelligence, including creating deep-fakes, but few states have succeeded in approving a framework.
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A bill in Connecticut stalled after getting approval in the Senate this past legislative session.
“We don’t want to just let people run with things and then, if necessary, reign them in,” Sen. James Maroney (D-Milford), the author of the bill, said.
Connecticut’s bill stalled amid concerns from Gov. Ned Lamont and others that rules around AI development were too strict. But that also leaves deep-fakes unregulated.
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Lynch said it’s hard to measure how common deep-fakes are, but he noted candidates in India have turned to the technology to try and win over voters.
“Deep-fakes are all over the media in India,” he said.
Maroney, meanwhile, referenced an AI-generated video the circulated in Slovakia.
“In one country there was a video of a candidate, I think, saying he was going to raise the price of beer coming out right before the election and able to swing the election,” he said.
Lynch said voters can protect themselves against deep-fakes, starting with not relying on social media for political news.
He also said people should be skeptical of social media posts or messages claiming to show a celebrity endorsing a candidate.
“That’s not to say that celebrity endorsements don’t happen, but you need to be careful,” he said.
Lynch also suggested people vet any video or audio that supposedly shows a candidate saying something shocking or out of character.
Lastly, Lynch said people should be leery when an unfamiliar news website or social media account breaks a major news story.
