OpenAI pledges to stamp out election disinformation with ChatGPT

2024 is a defining year for global politics, with India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and over 50 other nations set to go to the polls this year. As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption soars, OpenAI has pledged to ensure its AI tools aren’t used to meddle in these elections.

In a blog post, the California company unveiled its key initiatives to prevent abuse of ChatGPT and DALL-E, including through “misleading deepfakes, scaled influence operations, or chatbots impersonating candidates.”

Snapshot of how we’re preparing for 2024’s worldwide elections:

• Working to prevent abuse, including misleading deepfakes
• Providing transparency on AI-generated content
• Improving access to authoritative voting informationhttps://t.co/qsysYy5l0L

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) January 15, 2024

The Sam Altman-led company revealed that it prohibits users from building applications for political lobbying or campaigning. Users also can’t use its tools to create chatbots that imitate real people or organizations. The company will also not allow its tools to be used to develop applications that deter or discourage people from voting.

AI has become adept at creating content that appears authentic, and this could easily be weaponized in election cycles. To curb this, OpenAI has partnered with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) to use cryptographic details on images to reveal AI has generated them.

One of the most-watched elections will be in the U.S., where a Biden-Trump rematch looks likely. Allegations of election meddling by Russia, China, and other countries have rocked the U.S. in past election cycles. However, AI was in its early stages back then, but come November, it will present an unmatched threat.

OpenAI has partnered with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to prevent malicious use of its technology in the U.S. to identify and curb any possible AI manipulation in the country.

Additionally, ChatGPT users who ask questions about the elections will be directed to CanIVote.org, a platform that offers users information on whether they are eligible to vote and the nearest voting stations.

OpenAI says that if its efforts in the U.S. bear success, it will apply them to other countries in the future.

While the pledges will go a long way in thwarting election meddling, experts say the implementation could be underwhelming.

“For example, how exhaustive and comprehensive will the filters be when flagging questions about the election process? Will there be items that slip through the cracks?” asks Mekela Panditharatne from the Brennan Center for Justice.

Others wonder how effective the measures will be if only one company applies them. While ChatGPT is the most popular chatbot, others like Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Meta (NASDAQ: META) offer similar products that are just as capable.

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