Leading technology companies, at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), have pledged to help prevent deceptive AI content from interfering with this year’s global elections in which more than four billion people in over 40 countries will vote.
The signatories are Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, Arm, ElevenLabs, Google, IBM, Inflection AI, LinkedIn, McAfee, Meta, Microsoft, Nota, OpenAI, Snap, Stability AI, TikTok, TrendMicro, Truepic, and X.
The “Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections” is a set of commitments to deploy technology countering harmful AI-generated content meant to deceive voters. Signatories pledge to work collaboratively on tools to detect and address the online distribution of such AI content, drive educational campaigns, and provide transparency, among other concrete steps.
It also includes a broad set of principles, including the importance of tracking the origin of deceptive election-related content and the need to raise public awareness about the problem. The accord is one important step to safeguard online communities against harmful AI content, and builds on the individual companies’ ongoing work.
Digital content addressed by the accord consists of AI-generated audio, video, and images that deceptively fake or alter the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates, election officials, and other key stakeholders in a democratic election, or that provide false information to voters about when, where, and how they can vote.
Participating companies agreed to eight specific commitments:
Developing and implementing technology to mitigate risks related to Deceptive AI Election content, including open-source tools where appropriate
Assessing models in the scope of this Accord to understand the risks they may present regarding Deceptive AI Election Content
Seeking to detect the distribution of this content on their platforms
Seeking to appropriately address this content detected on their platforms
Fostering cross-industry resilience to Deceptive AI Election Content
Providing transparency to the public regarding how the company addresses it
Continuing to engage with a diverse set of global civil society organizations, academics
Supporting efforts to foster public awareness, media literacy, and all-of-society resilience
Christopher Heusgen Chairman Munich Security Conference
“Elections are the beating heart of democracies. The Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 elections is a crucial step in advancing election integrity, increasing societal resilience, and creating trustworthy tech practices. MSC is proud to offer a platform for technology companies to take steps toward reigning in threats emanating from AI while employing it for democratic good at the same time.”
Dana Rao, General Counsel and Chief Trust Officer at Adobe said that,“Transparency builds trust. That’s why we’re excited to see this effort to build the infrastructure we need to provide context for the content consumers are seeing online. With elections happening around the world this year, we need to invest in media literacy campaigns to ensure people know they can’t trust everything they see and hear online, and that there are tools out there to help them understand what’s true.”
Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs at Google stated that, “Democracy rests on safe and secure elections. Google has been supporting election integrity for years, and today’s accord reflects an industry-side commitment against AI-generated election misinformation that erodes trust. We can’t let digital abuse threaten AI’s generational opportunity to improve our economies, create new jobs, and drive progress in health and science.”
“Disinformation campaigns are not new, but in this exceptional year of elections, with more than 4 billion people heading to the polls worldwide, concrete, cooperative measures are needed to protect people and societies from the amplified risks of AI-generated deceptive content. That’s why IBM reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring safe, trustworthy, and ethical AI, signing the ‘Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections’ alongside industry peers at the Munich Security Conference,” Christina Montgomery, Vice President and Chief Privacy & Trust Officer, IBM, commented.
Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs at Meta stressed that, “With so many major elections taking place this year, it’s vital we do what we can to prevent people being deceived by AI-generated content. This work is bigger than any one company and will require a huge effort across industry, government and civil society. Hopefully, this accord can serve as a meaningful step from industry in meeting that challenge.”
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft remarked that, “As society embraces the benefits of AI, we have a responsibility to help ensure these tools don’t become weaponized in elections. AI didn’t create election deception, but we must ensure it doesn’t help deception flourish.”
“We’re committed to protecting the integrity of elections by enforcing policies that prevent abuse and improving transparency around AI-generated content. We look forward to working with industry partners, civil society leaders and governments around the world to help safeguard elections from deceptive AI use,” added Anna Makanju, Vice President of Global Affairs at OpenAI.
“It’s crucial for the industry to work together to safeguard communities against misleading and deceptive AI in this historic election year. This builds on our continued investment in protecting election integrity and advancing responsible and transparent AI-generated content practices through robust rules, new technologies, and media literacy partnerships with experts,” expressed Theo Bertram, VP of Global Public Policy, TikTok.
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X said that, “In democratic processes around the world, every citizen and company has a responsibility to safeguard free and fair elections, that’s why we must understand the risks AI content could have on the process. X is dedicated to playing its part, collaborating with peers to combat AI threats while also protecting free speech and maximizing transparency.”
