NY AG Letitia James Targets Big Tech Over Rising AI Misuse in Election Misinformation

New York Attorney General Letitia James is urging major tech companies to take stronger action against election-related misinformation. In a letter obtained by ABC News, she expresses concern that the rise of generative AI has made it easier for misleading content to spread.

The letter, addressed to ten social media and AI firms including Meta, Google, and OpenAI, highlights how generative AI tools have become popular and prone to misuse. These tools are making it harder for people to tell fact from fiction, especially with the 2024 presidential election approaching.

The letter points to specific examples of misinformation, such as an altered campaign video of Vice President Kamala Harris, where AI was used to mimic her voice and make her say things she never actually said. This video, initially posted as a parody, gained widespread attention when shared by X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk without a clear disclaimer.

Additionally, a robocall in January falsely claimed to be from President Joe Biden, advising people to save their vote for the November general election instead of participating in the New Hampshire primary.

James is not alone in her concerns. Recently, the secretaries of state from several states have also urged Musk to have X’s AI assistant, Grok, direct users to nonpartisan voting information sources like CanIVote.org, similar to how ChatGPT and OpenAI handle election information.

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