In the upcoming election season, the spread of misinformation has become a major concern for individuals like Jency Jacob, Managing Editor of BoomLive. While Jacob and his team have been actively working to combat fake news spread through the internet and social media, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has complicated matters.
One of the biggest challenges this election season is the utilization of new technologies, such as AI, by various parties. During recent state elections, there was a surge in the use of AI-generated cloned audio to mislead voters. As technology becomes more advanced, it becomes increasingly difficult to detect such deception.
In the Indian context, there has been a rise in the use of “cheap fakes,” but not yet deep fakes. Jacob highlights a specific incident involving an audio video clip that went viral last year. The clip featured a fake voiceover of renowned actor Amitabh Bachchan posing a defamatory question to a participant on a popular television show. The content was damaging as it portrayed then MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as a criminal. Despite efforts to prove its authenticity, the clip had already been viewed and shared by millions of people, causing significant harm.
To address these challenges, Jacob’s team collaborates with the misinformation team at Meta, which encompasses Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. They work to identify deep fakes, although the fate of flagged content remains uncertain. Google, on the other hand, proves to be a frustrating entity to deal with as they do not cooperate and their algorithms remain opaque.
Google, however, denies allegations of neglecting content moderation. They state that their recommendation system is based on principles that have stood the test of time. The company asserts that their systems are continually updated and that content moderation is a combination of both manual and automated review systems.
As the election season approaches, it is important to realistically assess the potential spread of misinformation. Instances of takedown notices may increase, and there may be pressure on tech companies to remove inconvenient news items. While Google may resist such pressures, the senior Google insider acknowledges that the demand for control and suppression of information does increase when politicians are in power.
In conclusion, the advent of new technologies like AI poses significant challenges in the battle against misinformation during election seasons. Despite the efforts of individuals like Jency Jacob, the spread of fake news remains a concern, especially when powerful entities like Google are unable to effectively collaborate in combating this issue.
The source of the article is from the blog coletivometranca.com.br