OpenAI’s recent report highlights the misuse of its platform by cyber actors aiming to influence global elections. The company has disrupted over 20 deceptive operations that utilized AI-generated content, including fake articles and social media posts, writes Hayden Field for CNBC.
With significant elections approaching worldwide, including the U.S. presidential election, concerns about election-related misinformation have surged, particularly with a 900% increase in deepfakes year over year. The report underscores a longstanding issue of misinformation in elections, tracing back to the 2016 U.S. campaign. Lawmakers are particularly worried about the rise of generative AI, which gained traction after the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.
OpenAI noted various levels of sophistication in how AI was used for election-related content, primarily focusing on the U.S. and Rwanda, with some involvement in India and the EU. Although operations were identified in places like Iran and Israel, most AI-generated posts garnered little engagement on social media.