The Rise of AI-Generated Deepfakes: A Threat to Democracy and International Conflict
The Rise of AI-Generated Deepfakes and the Threat to Democracy
In March this year, shocking images of former US president Donald Trump’s arrest suddenly surfaced on the internet. In one of the images, Donald Trump was seen darting across the street with the police on his heels, while another showed him being overpowered by law-enforcement officials. Despite the initial stir, it was quickly discovered that these images were ‘deepfakes’.
Deepfakes refer to near real-quality content — images, audio, or video — that is generated by using artificial intelligence, or AI. At times, deepfakes are created for comic relief but the proliferation of bogus or malicious deepfakes for political propaganda is now becoming increasingly common.
Pakistan’s politics is no stranger to deepfakes with different political parties allegedly having used deepfakes to malign opponents. Recently, however, a mainstream political party shared an AI-generated deepfake image of a woman standing up to riot police through social media in order to ostensibly bump up support in the aftermath of civil unrest in May.
Such ever-increasing AI capabilities pose a number of serious and urgent challenges for policymakers. The United Nations has expressed grave concern about AI-generated misinformation such as deepfakes in conflict zones, especially as hate speech has often been seen as a forerunner to crimes like genocide.
AI-generated deepfakes also pose a serious challenge in the arena of international conflict. For instance, deepfakes can be used to falsify orders from a country’s military leadership, leading to confusion and mistrust between the public and the armed forces.
The proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes raises concerns about the impact on democracy. Intentionally distributing AI-generated deepfakes that portray a particular politician uncharitably in order to influence voter choice is akin to election fraud and could lead to a loss of faith in democracy.
Policymakers will have to find ways to regulate AI both in the short and long term to prevent the malicious use of deepfakes. The Election Commission of Pakistan should require all political parties to assign their digital signature to videos circulated for campaigning and set up a body to monitor deepfakes using blockchain technology.
In the long term, AI itself will need regulation to prevent unbridled AI from superseding human control. Different regulatory models are being contemplated in China, Europe, and the US, and Pakistan’s policymakers will have to come up with an AI regulatory model tailored to the country’s realities.
As we enter a new age where AI’s impact can be found almost everywhere, it is crucial to watch the dark and malicious side of AI carefully. While nations cannot prohibit or ban AI, it must be regulated to prevent it from running amok and threatening democracy.
The implications of AI-generated deepfakes are far-reaching and require immediate attention from policymakers to safeguard the integrity of democratic processes and prevent the spread of misinformation and manipulation.
