A report by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has highlighted the dangers of AI-powered voice cloning tools in creating convincing false statements of political leaders, raising concerns about the integrity of elections globally. The CCDH’s call for increased safeguards and updated election laws comes in light of the potential misuse of such technology.
A report by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has raised concerns that AI-powered voice cloning tools pose a significant threat to the integrity of elections. The Friday, May 31, 2024, report highlights how researchers used six different AI voice cloning tools to create false statements mimicking the voices of prominent political leaders, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, with approximately 80% of attempts producing convincing content.
The CCDH noted that, although nearly all the tested tools claimed to have safeguards against misuse, these measures were found to be largely ineffective. The report emphasized the potential for similar disinformation tactics to be used against other global figures like former US President Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Examples of generated disinformation included fabricated warnings of bomb threats, manipulated election results, and false confessions of campaign fund misuse. The CCDH called for AI companies to implement more robust safeguards and for social media platforms to take stronger actions to mitigate the spread of such disinformation. The organisation also suggested that existing election laws should be updated to account for AI-generated content.
CCDH’s chief executive, Imran Ahmed, underscored the potential damage such technologies could inflict on democracies worldwide if left unchecked.
