The US deputy attorney general has warned about artificial intelligence (AI), saying it might “supercharge” misinformation and encourage violence during elections.
Lisa Monaco referred to artificial intelligence as the “ultimate double-edged sword” in an exclusive interview with the BBC.
She said that while it may positively impact society, bad actors could exploit it to spread destruction. She also disclosed plans to make offenders’ use of AI a contributing factor in US courts when deciding to sentence.
The former federal prosecutor said that aggressive offenders with firearms received more extended penalties. She was in the UK to give a talk on artificial intelligence at the University of Oxford. She told the BBC, For those who utilize AI maliciously to commit their crimes, we will therefore be following the same approach and pursuing harsher punishments and sentencing enhancements.
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She also discussed measures to prevent AI-powered disinformation, such as deepfakes. These are convincing recordings and videos of politicians saying things they never said, robocalls, or artificial intelligence-generated phony calls from interfering in the US election in November.
Robocalls during elections have been prohibited by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as of last week.
It happened after hundreds of New Hampshire voters got a call from someone posing as US President Joe Biden advising them not to cast a ballot in the state’s primary in January.
Ms. Monaco stated, ” I believe that regulators will appropriately take that kind of action to try and put some guardrails around using these technologies, especially in the election space.”
She claimed that to counter the threat posed by AI, the US government was collaborating with tech firms and other countries, such as the UK.
However, she said, “We will see more of this. We are just beginning to see the surface being scratched about how malicious actors can use this technology.”
With almost two billion individuals eligible to vote in elections this year, including those in the US, UK, and India, Ms. Monaco expressed concern that artificial intelligence might have a “fundamental impact” on democracy.
This week, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, told the BBC that a deep fake audio recording of him allegedly making provoking statements before Armistice Day nearly caused “serious disorder.”
Additionally, the US Deputy Attorney General expressed her worries about violence brought on by false information generated by AI.
She said, “I am concerned about the attempt by hostile actors, national governments or not, to spread and amp up misinformation through AI-generated content.”
Thus, that might have a variety of outcomes. It can discourage or confuse people from exercising their right to vote by making them doubt the reliability of the information sources they are receiving. We are undoubtedly concerned about inciting violence, spreading mistrust, and even anarchy in general.
Ms. Monaco also emphasized the potential advantages of AI as a weapon for combating crime and as something that may support inquiries and legal actions.
In “some of our most important investigations,” including the US Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, the FBI was utilizing AI technology to “sift through the tips we get from the public” and evaluate data and photographs, she told the BBC.
Ultimately, she stated, legislation and tech company activity will be necessary to create suitable obstacles for AI to sustain democracy.
