The minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), who also serves as president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Alexandre de Moraes, recently spoke about a very current topic: the urgent need to establish effective regulation for the artificial intelligence (IA). His considerations were given during a seminar promoted by the TSE itself.
During his presentation, Moraes articulated that AI has the capacity to greatly amplify the reach of fake news. This is a legitimate concern, as such news, when disseminated through technology, can have drastic effects on public opinion and, as a result, unduly influence election results — a fundamental pillar of democracy.
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Furthermore, Moraes went beyond just one subject. He talked about other important points about disinformation and elections. He discussed the responsibility of big technology companies. These companies have power that goes beyond countries and cultures. He argued that it is very important to have an international declaration on digital rights. The UN should support this declaration as a fundamental law to protect people online.
Moraes also highlighted that we should not demonize AI, given that it does not have intrinsically good or bad qualities. At its core, it is a powerful tool, whose applications can be directed towards both constructive and destructive purposes.
During the elections, he specifically mentioned the pernicious potential of extremist groups that, using AI, can manipulate information, creating and disseminating deepfakes — false but convincing digital representations that can mislead the public and distort the truth.
“In addition to education, prevention and preparation to combat the use of AI to spread fake news, it is also important to have administrative, legislative and judicial mechanisms so that we can also repressively combat this use so that we do not let it influence in the elections“, he commented, highlighting the complexity of the challenge. “Until that [conteúdo falso] is denied, until the true version reaches the entire electorate, this could change millions of votes“, he continued explaining the measures that need to be adopted.
TSE is already working to regulate the use of AI in elections
He recalled that the TSE has already banned the use of deepfakes in politics in the last elections. He also created rules to limit artificial intelligence (AI) in campaigns. Even so, Moraes is still concerned about AI. It can spread fake news and change the outcome of an election.
Moraes wants an international declaration from the UN to protect the digital rights of people around the world. He spoke about the rules of Brazil and the European Union. He said we need international standards to meet the challenges of the digital age.
He commented that big technology companies have a lot of power. They work in advertising and information. Therefore, they must be responsible for their actions.
Finally, the president of the TSE spoke about how the Court is fighting misinformation. They will check suspicious news and make digital platforms remove false content quickly. The TSE will work with the Electoral Public Ministry and the National Telecommunications Agency on this important task. If you want to watch the speech in full, just play the video below:
Source: https://www.hardware.com.br/noticias/2024-05/alexandre-de-moraes-inteligencia-artificial-anabolizante-fake-news.html
