Election Wave, AI Disinformation Raise Stakes in 2024

AFP/APP
Paris: With elections due in countries representing half the world’s population and new technologies turbo-charging disinformation, 2024 will be a major stress test for politics in the age of AI.
2024 has been labeled a “make-or-break” year for democracy, with crucial votes due in more than 60 countries.
The first major test of how to survive an onslaught of AI-powered disinformation has already taken place.
Already last year, fake images of Donald Trump being arrested or Joe Biden announcing a general mobilization to support Ukraine have shown how far the technology has progressed.
The last easy tells for fakery—notably, AI’s struggles with details such as fingers—are rapidly disappearing, blunting detection mechanisms.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked disinformation as its number one threat over the next two years.