AI Threatens UK Elections as Deepfake Concerns Rise
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being utilised for election interference, raising concerns among UK politicians and security services.
Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland urges the government to address the "clear and present danger" AI poses to UK democracy. He specifically points out the surge of deepfakes — realistic audio and video clips depicting individuals saying things they never said. Recent incidents, such as a fake audio clip of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the use of AI-generated images in elections worldwide, underscore the need for proactive measures.
While some propose making deepfakes illegal, others, including Science Secretary Michelle Donelan, are advocating for technological solutions to detect and neutralise fake content. However, the cat-and-mouse game between detection mechanisms and generative AI models is posing challenges to proving a clip's authenticity.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has acknowledged the evolving threat, emphasising the widespread availability of powerful AI tools such as large language models like ChatGPT. These tools enable the creation of convincing fake content, posing a serious risk to the democratic process.
"While the UK's use of paper voting in general elections makes it significantly harder to interfere with our elections, the next election will be the first to take place against the backdrop of significant advances in AI," it said.
Despite the focus on deepfakes, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum suggests that only focusing on the threat of deepfakes poses "slight risk". Security sources have emphasised the immediate concern of AI's use in crafting "spearphishing" emails, which aim to compromise individuals' computers. This tactic was used in the 2016 Presidential elections in America by Russian intelligence to access the emails of the chair of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
In response to the growing AI threat, the UK has established the Defending Democracy Taskforce and Joint Election Security Preparedness unit. As the UK gears up for the next general election, balancing the response to deepfakes with other AI threats becomes crucial to maintaining trust in the political process.
If you’d like to hear more about deepfakes and cybersecurity, check out our exclusive interview with former FBI academy leader Dr Richard "Rick" Kiper at: https://www.ayozat.com/watch/ayo-news-insights/DpebjzFxYDnN
Or view the full transcript here at: https://news.ayozat.com/story/dr-richard-kiper-talks-fbi-and-digital-forensics-on-ayo-news-insights-transcript
