Adobe, Amazon, ElevenLabs, Google, IBM, LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok, X, Truepic, and more sign ‘Tech Accord’ to combat deceptive AI use in elections.
A group of 20 Big Tech companies pledged to “prevent deceptive” use of artificial intelligence (AI) and track down its creators as the United States and other countries head into elections in 2024.
Deepfakes of political candidates, election officials, and “other key stakeholders” in elections this year will be under the microscopes of Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, ARM, ElevenLabs, Google, IBM, Inflection AI, LinkedIn, McAfee, Meta, Microsoft, Nota, OpenAI, Snap, Stability AI, TikTok, TrendMicro, TruePic, and X (formerly Twitter).
The technology giants, some of which have been embroiled in controversy over censoring disfavored political views during elections, have signed a pact to combat the deceptive use of AI in the 2024 elections, which was unveiled at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), attended by global leaders and security officials on Friday.
The specific focus of the pact is on AI-generated audio, video, and images designed to deceive voters and manipulate election processes. The companies will “work collaboratively” to build on each of their existing efforts in this arena, according to a news release.
The accord comes as over four billion people in more than 40 countries are expected to participate in elections in 2024, the news release noted.
The Tech Accord outlines a set of commitments, including that the companies will work together to create tools that detect “and address” the use of deepfakes—convincing AI-generated audio, video, and images.
Content that provides false information to voters about the time, location, and how they can vote will also be targeted by the companies.
MSC Chair Christoph Heusgen, who described elections as the “beating heart” of democracies, touted the “Tech Accord” as a “crucial step in advancing election integrity, increasing societal resilience, and creating trustworthy tech practices.”
“MSC is proud to offer a platform for technology companies to take steps toward reining in threats emanating from AI while employing it for democratic good at the same time,” he said in a statement.
The participating companies have committed to eight actions in the “Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections.”
These actions range from working together to develop technology to detect and address deepfakes, to mitigating risks and fostering cross-industry resilience, to providing transparency to the public regarding their efforts.
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