When protests in Pakistan earlier this year escalated into clashes between pro-government forces and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the now-imprisoned leader turned to social media to bolster his message. The report details numerous troubling ways advancing AI tools are being used to amplify political repression around the globe. Pro-China government bot accounts shared similar clips of AI-generated newscasters on social media, this time appearing to rebuff critics. Maybe most troubling of all, the Freedom House report shows a rise in political actors calling videos and audio deepfakes that are in fact genuine. Even somewhat unconvincing or easily refutable AI manipulation, Freedom House argues, still “undermines public trust in the democratic process.”“This is a critical issue for our time, as human rights online are a key target of today’s autocrats,” Freedom House President Michael J. Abramowitz said.

Source: The Nation October 04, 2023 07:03 UTC