20 leading technology companies, including Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok, and X, have committed to work together to identify and combat harmful AI content.
The "Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in the 2024 Elections" includes a series of commitments to deploy technologies to detect and combat harmful AI-generated content designed to deceive voters.
The Tech Accord refers to digital content, including AI-generated audio, video, and images, that deceptively imitates or alters the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates, election officials, and other key players in democratic elections, or misinforms voters about when, where, and how to cast their ballots.
The signatories will work together to develop tools to detect and combat the proliferation of such AI content online, conduct awareness campaigns, and share information and resources to increase the effectiveness of their technologies and ensure the safety of their online communities.
Specifically, the companies agree to eight commitments:
- Developing and implementing technology to mitigate risks related to Deceptive AI
Election content, including open-source tools where appropriate - Assessing models in 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
The initiative also aims to promote cross-sector resilience against misleading AI election content and to collaborate with global civil society organizations, academics, and other stakeholders.
The Tech Accord was announced at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 16, 2024, in the context of the 2024 elections, when more than four billion people in over 40 countries will cast their ballots.
AI-generated misinformation already exists, as demonstrated by Microsoft's Copilot chatbot. Political parties and other interest groups are also using AI-generated content in their propaganda. In the US, a robocall with an AI-generated voice advised people in New Hampshire not to vote in the primary.