OpenAI to launch anti-disinformation tools for 2024 elections
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 16, 2024 – ChatGPT maker OpenAI has announced its plans to introduce tools aimed at combating disinformation in anticipation of the numerous elections scheduled this year in countries representing half the world’s population.
The exponential success of OpenAI’s text generator ChatGPT has revolutionized the field of artificial intelligence globally. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential misuse of such tools, which could inundate the internet with disinformation and significantly influence voters.
With major elections on the horizon in countries including the United States, India, and Britain, OpenAI has made it clear that their technology, including ChatGPT and the image generator DALL-E 3, will not be permitted for use in political campaigns.
In a blog post, OpenAI stated, We want to make sure our technology is not used in a way that could undermine the democratic process. We’re still working to understand how effective our tools might be for personalized persuasion. Until we know more, we don’t allow people to build applications for political campaigning and lobbying.
AI-generated disinformation and misinformation have been identified by the World Economic Forum as the greatest short-term global risks, capable of eroding the legitimacy of newly elected governments in major economies.
The availability of powerful AI text and image generators has intensified the threat of election disinformation, especially considering the challenge of distinguishing between genuine and manipulated content.
To address these concerns, OpenAI has outlined its plans to develop tools that will provide reliable attribution for text generated by ChatGPT and enable users to determine if an image was created using DALL-E 3.
OpenAI stated, Early this year, we will implement the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity’s digital credentials — an approach that encodes details about the content’s provenance using cryptography.
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), consisting of prominent industry players such as Microsoft, Sony, Adobe, Nikon, and Canon, aims to enhance methods for identifying and tracing digital content.
OpenAI has also emphasized the implementation of measures to ensure responsible usage of their tools. ChatGPT will direct users to authoritative websites when posed with procedural questions regarding US elections, while DALL-E 3 has built-in guardrails to prevent the generation of images depicting real individuals, including candidates.
Previously, tech giants Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) announced their own efforts to curtail election interference, particularly through the use of AI.
The proliferation of deepfakes, manipulated videos, and audio related to politicians on social media platforms has fueled a crisis of trust in political institutions. While it may be challenging to determine if this content is AI-generated, experts agree that disinformation remains a significant threat.
As concerns surrounding the upcoming elections mount, OpenAI’s commitment to developing anti-disinformation tools is a welcome step towards safeguarding the democratic process.
In a time where trust in information is paramount, the responsibility to combat disinformation lies not only with technology developers but also with individuals to actively seek reliable sources and critically evaluate the content they encounter.
