University of Kwazulu-Natal

Tips For Spotting Ai Generated Election Disinformation And Propaganda

Bonisiwe Shabane
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tips for spotting ai generated election disinformation and propaganda

Generative artificial intelligence is already being deployed to mislead and deceive voters in the 2024 election, making it imperative that voters take steps to identify inauthentic images, audio, video, and other content designed to... While election disinformation has existed throughout our history, generative AI amps up the risks. It changes the scale and sophistication of digital deception and heralds a new vernacular of technical concepts related to detection and authentication that voters must now grapple with. For instance, early in the generative AI boom in 2023, a cottage industry of articles urged voters to become DIY deepfake detectors, searching for mangled hands and misaligned shadows. But as some generative AI tools outgrew these early flaws and hiccups, such instructions acquired greater potential to mislead would-be sleuths seeking to uncover AI-generated fakes. Other new developments introduce different conundrums for voters.

For example, major generative AI and social media companies have begun to attach markers to trace a piece of content’s origins and changes over time. However, major gaps in usage and the ease of removing some markers mean that voters still risk confusion and misdirection. Rapid change in the technology means experts have not reached consensus on precise rules for every scenario. But for today’s voters, here is the most important advice: The rise of AI has flooded the internet with election disinformation. Here is an example of a deceptive AI-generated photo of former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Earlier this year, New Hampshire voters received a phone message that sounded like President Joe Biden, discouraging them to vote in the state’s primary election. The voice on the line, however, was not really Biden’s – it was a robocall created with artificial intelligence (AI) to deceptively mimic the president. The rise of AI has made it easier than ever to create fake images, phony videos and doctored audio recordings that look and sound real. With an election fast approaching, the emerging technology threatens to flood the internet with disinformation, potentially shaping public opinion, trust and behavior in our democracy. “Democracies depend on informed citizens and residents who participate as fully as possible and express their opinions and their needs through the ballot box,” said Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy... “The concern is that decreasing trust levels in democratic institutions can interfere with electoral processes, foster instability, polarization, and can be a tool for foreign interference in politics.”

Romero recently hosted a webinar – titled Elections in the Age of AI – in which experts discussed how to identify AI-generated disinformation and how policymakers can regulate the emerging technology. The panel included David Evan Harris, Chancellor’s Public Scholar at UC Berkeley; Mekela Panditharatne, counsel for the Brennan Center’s Elections & Government Program; and Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause. Generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, are trained on large datasets to create written, visual or audio content in response to prompts. When fed real images, some algorithms can produce fake photos and videos known as deepfakes(opens in new window). Content created with generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems are playing a role in the 2024 presidential election. While these tools can be used harmlessly, they allow bad actors to create misinformation more quickly and realistically than before, potentially increasing their influence on voters.

Domestic and foreign adversaries can use deepfakes and other forms of generative AI to spread false information about a politician’s platform or doctor their speeches, said Thomas Scanlon(opens in new window), principal researcher at... “The concern with deepfakes is how believable they can be, and how problematic it is to discern them from authentic footage,” Scanlon said. Voters have seen more ridiculous AI-generated content — such as a photo of Donald Trump appearing to ride a lion(opens in new window) — than an onslaught of hyper-realistic deepfakes full of falsehoods, according... Still, Scanlon is concerned that voters will be exposed to more harmful generative content on or shortly before Election Day, such as videos depicting poll workers saying an open voting location is closed. That sort of misinformation, he said, could prevent voters from casting their ballots because there will be little time to correct the false information. Overall, AI-generated deceit could further erode voters’ trust in the country’s democratic institutions and elected officials, according to the university’s Block Center for Technology and Society(opens in new window), housed in the Heinz College...

“People are just constantly being bombarded with information, and it's up to the consumer to determine: What is the value of it, but also, what is their confidence in it? And I think that's really where individuals may struggle,” said Randall Trzeciak(opens in new window), director of the Heinz College Master of Science in Information Security Policy & Management(opens in new window) (MSISPM) program. For years, people have spread misinformation by manipulating photos and videos with tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Scanlon said. These fakes are easier to recognize, and they’re harder for bad actors to replicate on a large scale. Generative AI systems, however, enable users to create content quickly and easily, even if they don’t have fancy computers or software.People fall for deepfakes for a variety of reasons, faculty at Heinz College said. If the viewer is using a smartphone, they’re more likely to blame a deepfake’s poor quality on bad cell service.

If a deepfake echoes a belief the viewer already has — for example, that a political candidate would make the statement depicted — the viewer is less likely to scrutinize it. People should trust their intuition and attempt to verify videos they believe could be deepfakes, Scanlon said. “If you see a video that's causing you to have some doubt about its authenticity, then you should acknowledge that doubt,” he said. The Brookings Institution, Washington DC Daniel S. Schiff, Kaylyn Jackson Schiff, Natália Bueno

AI-Generated Disinformation Poses Significant Threat to the 2024 Election and Beyond The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a new and potent weapon into the arsenal of political manipulation: AI-generated misinformation. Capable of producing highly convincing yet entirely fabricated text, images, and videos, AI poses an unprecedented challenge to the integrity of information online and threatens to further erode public trust in an already fractured... Experts warn that the 2024 election cycle, and indeed the future of democratic discourse, will be heavily influenced by this emerging technology, demanding heightened vigilance from voters and potentially requiring new regulatory frameworks. One of the most concerning aspects of AI-generated misinformation is its insidious nature. Unlike traditional forms of disinformation, which often contain telltale signs of manipulation, AI-crafted content can be virtually indistinguishable from authentic material.

Experts interviewed by the NewsHour express a near-unanimous lack of confidence in existing tools designed to identify AI-generated text, highlighting the difficulty in discerning fact from fiction in the digital age. This raises the stakes significantly, as even sophisticated media consumers may find themselves unwittingly consuming and disseminating false narratives. The pervasiveness of this technology, coupled with the speed and scale with which AI-generated content can be disseminated across social media platforms, creates a perfect storm for the spread of misinformation. The NewsHour segment underscores the deliberate use of AI by political actors seeking to manipulate public opinion and influence electoral outcomes. Bot networks, automated systems designed to amplify specific messages and hashtags, can be deployed to artificially inflate the perceived popularity of certain viewpoints or candidates. These networks can also be weaponized to spread disinformation, flooding online spaces with fabricated stories and conspiracy theories that can quickly go viral.

As AI technology becomes more sophisticated and accessible, the potential for its misuse in political campaigns is expected to escalate, further blurring the lines between legitimate political discourse and manipulative propaganda. The challenges posed by AI-generated misinformation extend far beyond the realm of politics. The ability to create convincing fake news articles, alter images to depict events that never occurred, and fabricate video testimonials can have far-reaching consequences across various sectors of society. From undermining public health initiatives with fabricated scientific claims to damaging reputations with deepfake videos, the potential for harm is immense. The erosion of trust in credible sources of information further exacerbates the problem, leaving individuals vulnerable to manipulation and fostering a climate of skepticism and cynicism. AI-generated election disinformation is a growing threat to democracy.

Here’s what you need to know and how to protect yourself: Stay alert and informed. AI-generated disinformation is sophisticated, but with the right tools and knowledge, you can help safeguard election integrity. AI-generated election disinformation involves using artificial intelligence to create convincing but false content designed to mislead voters. This includes tools like deepfakes, voice cloning, and fabricated text. These techniques are used to craft and distribute deceptive messages across digital platforms.

Here’s a breakdown of the main types of AI-driven disinformation: Recent elections have shown how AI-driven disinformation campaigns are becoming more complex and harder to detect. Credit: gorodenkoff/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ­­— When artificial intelligence (AI) and social media meet politics, disinformation can spread fast.

Generative AI can make it easy and cheap to churn out false but convincing text, audio and video content intended to mislead voters. Penn State News spoke with three faculty experts about how to spot AI-generated election misinformation and what voters can do to protect themselves. Q: When we’re consuming social media, how do we identify misinformation? Matthew Jordan, professor of film production and media studies in the Penn State Bellisario College of Communications, studies the impact of local news, misinformation and digital technology on democracy and society and the role... From attack ads and fake flyers to viral myths and AI simulations, it’s easy to get fooled. Learn about the most common traps and how to spot the real facts before you cast your ballot.

Election info is everywhere, but it’s not always accurate. In early 2024, New Hampshire voters got a robocall from “President Joe Biden,” telling them to stay home on primary day. But it wasn’t Biden; it was an AI deepfake. Bad actors, biased ads, and simple mistakes can flood your smartphone with misleading claims, especially during voting season. And they can come from all sides of the political spectrum. From attack ads to viral myths to AI simulations, it’s easy to get fooled, especially when emotions run high.

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