The Threat of AI in Elections: Fake Videos and Voices
AI And Deepfake: Many election managers believe that the increasing use of AI makes things easier, but it is also dangerous. It is important to deal with this.
Loksabha Chunav 2024: This is India’s first Lok Sabha election in which artificial intelligence and deepfake are being used extensively. The Election Commission of India is indeed well engaged in implementing the rules, but in case of a slight mistake, AI and deepfake technologies can affect the elections, even if it is a little. Now it is up to the voters to ensure how to stay alert from this and not let themselves be influenced by misinformation. Artificial intelligence and deepfake are the techniques through which content can be created, including videos. Through this, content can be delivered at a very low cost and in less time. Although it has positive uses too. But sometimes facts are presented in the wrong way. This can happen intentionally or by mistake. Even a video of someone can be made in which he is not involved.
Example of an Election Manipulation with AI-Generated Fake Video
During the Telangana assembly elections November 2023, some people were standing in line outside a polling booth, when a video appeared on their WhatsApp, in which Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao was calling upon people to vote in favor of Congress.
This video was fake. However, it is a different matter that Congress won the Telangana assembly elections and Revanth Reddy became the Chief Minister. There are many such examples in which videos are made using deepfake, even the voice can be created in the same way.
Another example: In February this year, the official handle of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) shared a message using the voice of J Jayalalithaa. It should be noted that she died in 2016.
In this video message, people were urged to support the current leader Edappadi Palaniswami. This message was widely discussed, and later it was found out that artificial intelligence was used in it.
PM Modi’s Fake face and voice by AI and Deep Fake.
Even earlier this year, a deepfake picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face was shared on social media, in which a person resembling PM Modi’s face was seen on a song. Not only this, the voices in the video were changed through AI to match the PM’s voice. PM Modi himself keeps advising people to be alert about deepfakes.
People are making fake videos using AI technology that show Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face. Some of these videos are meant to be funny, but some are hurtful and disrespectful. This is a serious problem because it can mislead people and damage the reputation of our leaders.
Fake robocall of Joe Biden by AI and Deepfake
A similar example was seen in America too. A fake robocall impersonating US President Joe Biden urged voters in New Hampshire to stay away from voting in the January primary elections. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, it was later found that this was done using AI and deepfake.
In such a situation, before trusting any picture, video, or content, make sure that it has come from the right place. The first thing should be that the source is correct. Apart from this, there are many other ways as well.