Broadcasters, including ITN and The Sun, raise concerns at the Media And Telecoms 2024 And Beyond Conference in London over the threat of deepfakes and misinformation impacting public trust on election day. ITN’s CEO highlighted the challenges of countering AI-created propaganda and the inability of TV news channels to provide real-time updates to combat misinformation once polls open. ITN announces collaboration with Open Origins to use blockchain technology for video content authentication.
Broadcasters Raise Concerns Over Deepfakes on Election Day
Broadcasters have expressed concerns about their inability to counter deepfakes and misinformation on election day. Speaking at the Media And Telecoms 2024 And Beyond Conference at the Park Plaza London Riverbank, ITN chief executive Rachel Corp highlighted the threat posed by artificial intelligence-created propaganda. ITN, which produces content for 5 News, ITV News, and Channel 4 News, has been raising these issues with the government for over a year.
Corp noted that ITN’s newsreaders have been targeted by deepfakes, which can undermine public trust. She emphasized the problem that, due to broadcasting regulations, TV news channels cannot provide real-time updates and counter misinformation once polls open.
Corp also announced that ITN is collaborating with technology firm Open Origins to digitally safeguard its video archives using blockchain technology to verify content authenticity.
Dominic Carter, executive vice-president of publishing at The Sun, echoed these concerns about synthetic content. Although he refrained from stating the political party The Sun would support in the upcoming election, he noted the growing importance of human journalism in the face of AI-generated misinformation.
The conference underscored the challenges broadcasters face in maintaining the integrity of news during critical times such as election days.
