Considered opinion: Truth decay The West is ill-prepared for the wave of “deep fakes” that artificial intelligence could unleash
Russian disinformation has become a growing problem for Western countries. European nations are finally taking action, which is an important first step, but Chris Meserole and Alina Polyakova write “to get ahead of the problem, policymakers in Europe and the United States should focus on the coming wave of disruptive technologies. Fueled by advances in artificial intelligence and decentralized computing, the next generation of disinformation promises to be even more sophisticated and difficult to detect.” Bigger data, better algorithms, and custom hardware promise to democratize the creation of fake print, audio, and video stories. “Deep fakes and the democratization of disinformation will prove challenging for governments and civil society to counter effectively,” Meserole and Alina Polyakova warn.
Russian disinformation has become a growing problem for European governments. In the last two years, Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns have spread false stories alleging that French President Emmanuel Macron was backed by the “gay lobby,” fabricated a story of a Russian-German girl raped by Arab migrants, and spread a litany of conspiracy theories about the Catalan independence referendum, among many other similar efforts in many other countries, including the United States.
Chris Meserole and Alina Polyakova write that Europe is finally taking action. In January, Germany’s Network Enforcement Act came into effect. The law, which is designed to limit hate speech and fake news online, has prompted both France and Spain to consider similar counter-disinformation legislation.
Even more important, in April the European Union unveiled a new strategy for tackling online disinformation. The EU plan focuses on several responses: promoting media literacy, funding a third-party fact-checking service, and pushing Facebook and others to highlight news from credible media outlets, among others.
Meserole and Alina Polyakova write that the recent European actions are important first steps, but that “to get ahead of the problem, policymakers in Europe and the United States should focus on the coming wave of disruptive technologies. Fueled by advances in artificial intelligence and decentralized computing, the next generation of disinformation promises to be even more sophisticated and difficult to detect.”
They continue:
To craft effective strategies for the near term, lawmakers should focus on four emerging threats in particular: the democratization of artificial intelligence, the evolution of social networks, the rise of decentralized applications, and the “back end” of disinformation.
Thanks to bigger data, better algorithms, and custom hardware, in the coming years, individuals around the world will increasingly have access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence. From health care to transportation, the democratization of AI holds enormous promise.
