back to article AI political disinformation is a huge problem – but harder to fight than ever

Tackling AI disinformation is more crucial than ever for tech companies this year as they brace for the upcoming US presidential election. Combating false information and deepfakes, however, has only become more difficult given that the tools for generating synthetic content more widely accessible than ever before. OpenAI's …

  1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    I miss hand crafted lies

    When you needed a proper 'journalist' with a fancy private education to say that the EU was banning/mandating bent bananas and that a billion migrants were coming from Turkey on pedalos to take your job and live free on benefits

    1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

      Re: I miss hand crafted lies

      and that a billion migrants were coming from Turkey on pedalos to take your job and live free on benefits

      The last part is arguable true-ish, but I'd spin that one as '100,000 desperate migrants fled France and the EU, requesting asylum from the EU in the UK'.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: I miss hand crafted lies

        What about a simple swap?

        As we know the Eu is a horrific evil empire that Britain was able to free itself from in order to transcend to the glorious uplands of Brexit (sounds of Jerusalem start in the background)

        So it's really only understandable that 100,000 of the continents 450M citizens would also want to leave.

        Similarly in Britain there are likely 100,000 people who would like to move to Europe. Most of these are undesirables such as scientific and medical researchers, investment bankers and novelists who want to escape to well funded foreign research institutes, Frankfurt banks and cottages in Provence.

        Can't we just do an exchange? Even the foreign office can presumably manage a one-in one-out program

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I miss hand crafted lies

          The tragically* ironic part is that there are appreciable minorities on either side of anything of this nature who believe the majority of their opponents to be this ill informed, all while giving themselves a hearty Dunning-Kruger driven pat on the back for understanding the issue so deeply and holding the only objectively justifiable stance.

          *were it fiction, it would be hilarious

  2. Khaptain Silver badge

    The future is quite certain

    AI will be used indefinitely as a political tool, by politicians and their ilk, in order that those is power remain in power.

    It will be held as the "truth", you will not be allowed to contest it; unfortunately that same truth will change on a need-to basis.

  3. Tron Silver badge

    This is amateur stuff.

    The professionals at Westminster issue polished lies in policy documents. Official lies are the only lies you should believe.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: This is amateur stuff.

      Hacker: No, but it's never been officially denied. First rule in politics: never believe anything until it's officially denied.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Disinformation? We Don't Need Technology!!

    Quote: "....AI political disinformation...."

    Puzzled!! We don't need AI for disinformation.......Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, William Rees-Mogg, Nigel Farage, Tim Martin......are all plenty good enough!!

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Disinformation? We Don't Need Technology!!

      >Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, William Rees-Mogg, Nigel Farage, Tim Martin......are all plenty good enough!!

      But what about the ordinary non-techie members of the public who think these are actually real people and not AI generated characters?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Disinformation? We Don't Need Technology!!

        @Yet_Another_Anonymous_Coward

        Puzzled!! ALL members of the public know that Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, William Rees-Mogg, Nigel Farage, Tim Martin.....are actual, real people!!!

        What point are you trying to make?

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Disinformation? We Don't Need Technology!!

          Another AI bot on el'reg

    2. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      Re: Disinformation? We Don't Need Technology!!

      "I did not have sex with that woman..."

      Your list seems a bit one-sided, there. Lying to the general public is practically a prerequisite for being a successful politician. This has been true for a _very_ long time. Check out the origins of the story of Cleopatra's beauty. Or ask yourself why the custom in Middle Egypt was to whack off the heads of statues & replace them with new ones when there was a new Pharaoh...

  5. Plest Silver badge

    As the updated saying goes...

    "There's lies, damned lies and AI generated shit!"

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: As the updated saying goes...

      >"There's lies, damned lies and AI generated shit!"

      Indeed I saw a youtube clip of Mark Twain saying it

  6. Jeff Smith

    Perhaps rather than being the final nail in the coffin of shared truth the oncoming wave of AI bullshit will force people to get their news only from a small handful of sources that the majority feel they can trust. Everyone will quickly learn that you can’t believe anything you see on the internet anymore, and that in itself will defang a lot of the propagandists and fakers.

    Of course the question is how will people know what the handful of trustworthy sources are, and therein lies a big can of tedious conspiracy worms. But the point remains that people will always want to know the truth and so they’ll have no choice but to believe something, and it’s not going to be random sources on the internet any more. So traditional news media will continue to do well I think. Of course whether they’re telling you the truth or not is another conversation.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      >will force people to get their news only from a small handful of sources that the majority feel they can trust.

      Fox News and the Daily Mail

      1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

        Fox News and the Daily Mail

        Bbc and the Grauniad. It really is amazing and depressing just how polarised our political landscape has become.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          That's why I read both Der Stürmer and Women's Realm.

          It doesn't leave me terribly well informed on Israel-Palestine but I can crochet a lovely Merkava cosy

    2. DS999 Silver badge

      Wow you sure are optimistic

      The reason people seek out the fringe nutjobs on the internet is because research shows people don't like having their beliefs challenged. So more mainstream news sources (and even Fox News fits in there as they don't have an unlimited ability to lie to people, as the Dominion suit proved) have suffered as people search the internet until they find someone who will confirm what they believe, or want to believe, and take them ever further down the rabbit holes.

      With AI they no longer need real people to spread the lies. Real people are a problem, because like Alex Jones or Rudy Guliani can be and have been held accountable for their lies in a court of law. There is no one to sue with an "AI personality", especially if the operator is overseas like say in Russia. It also doesn't have to say the same thing to each person, it could tailor what it says to hit the hot buttons with each person. So for one person it might be spreading more election conspiracy lies, for another it is going on about democrats and Hollywood elite drinking the blood of children, and so on. Some people who it judges as more likely to be willing to commit violence can be groomed to become a private militia to do the bidding of whoever is behind it.

      The people who listen to fringe figures like Alex Jones, or maybe those further fringe I've (thankfully) never heard of, aren't going to go back to watching Fox News because AI will make them "not believe anything they see on the internet". They will have a customized Alex Jones type but far worse, who knows exactly what to say to push that person's buttons and watches their reactions to know what to back off from (maybe they have a soft spot for gays because they have a gay brother, or for immigrants because their uncle was an illegal) and what to go all in on.

      There's no way AI is going to bring back mainstream news sources for those already lost to the fringe. But it will eventually kill off the fringe figures making videos on Youtube or Twatter today, so I guess there will be some good accompanying the massive downsides.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Wow you sure are optimistic

        That's the advantage of AI. Instead of the algorithms pushing you toward extreme youtube content, it will be able to produce content directly aimed at you, keeping you engaged and ready for advertisers.

        Finally as a trans-women, vegan who likes arguing about details of C++ template meta-programming and steam engines - I will no longer be ignored by the mainstream media

      2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Re: Wow you sure are optimistic @DS999

        With AI they no longer need real people to spread the lies. Real people are a problem, ... .... DS999

        The problem for real people, and most especially for those in leading administrative positions, is AI revealing hidden truths deemed state secrets because of the disruptive and destructive advantage delivered to ACTors, both invested elite state and disenfranchised renegade rogue non-state ...... and AI is a Grand Master without Peer Equal at that Diabolical Task/Heavenly Operation ‽ .

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