Why are the polls in Argentina being called the ‘first ever AI election?’

Argentina is known for Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, skyrocketing inflation rates and… the first ever Artificial Intelligence-powered election? The South American country is in the grips of election fever with its two main presidential candidates, Javier Milei, far-right populist leader of the Liberty Advances party, and Sergio Massa, the main “unity” candidate for the governing Peronist coalition now called the Union for the Homeland, doing all they can to vie for the public’s votes. And their attempts to secure power extends to Artificial Intelligence (AI), with both of them harnessing the power of AI in hopes of promoting themselves and attacking their opponent. AI and Argentina Argentina has taken a bold technological leap by embracing AI-powered politics. But what do we mean by that? Both candidates, Massa and Milei, are using AI-generated campaigning posters to woo the voters. For instance, one of the posters show Massa dressed in a shirt with what appeared to be military medals, pointing to a blue sky. And he is surrounded by hundreds of older people — in drab clothing, with serious, and often disfigured, faces — looked toward him in hope. In another poster, Massa’s team has used AI to put Milei’s face on movie characters in Clockwork Orange and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to depict him as unstable. This comes after the far-right populist leader collapsed on live television on 29 October during an interview. The public at that time had said he looked “unhinged, exhibiting erratic behaviour and using unusual hand gestures”.

Furthermore, a deepfake has also been created where Milei is shown discussing the concept of a human organ market, which he would legalise if elected. When asked about the use of AI, Massa, who is the current economic minister of the country, told New York Times, “I didn’t have my mind prepared for the world that I’m going to live in. It’s a huge challenge. We’re on a horse that we have to ride but we still don’t know its tricks.” And when confronted with the deepfake video, Massa countered with “I don’t agree with that use.” The New York Times further reports that Massa’s election team has sat down with artists and briefed them about the message or emotion they want to impart through the AI-generated images. For instance, for Halloween, Massa’s team came up with AI-powered images depicting Milei and his supporters as zombies. There’s also a video featuring Buenos Aires burning, Milei as an evil villain in a straitjacket and Massa as the hero who will save the country. In an attempt to counter Massa, Javier Milei has come up with his own AI-powered posters depicting his opponent as a Chinese communist leader and himself as a cuddly cartoon lion.

EL MÉTODO CASTA-MASSA

CREAR UN PROBLEMA
1. Generar déficit fiscal
2. Financiarlo con emisión monetaria
3. Ante la aceleración de la inflación, proceder a controlar precios
4. Culpar a empresarios y apretarlos
5. Aparece el desabastecimiento

VENTA DE LA SOLUCIÓN
6. Pacta con… pic.twitter.com/kHonKuJFxn

— Javier Milei (@JMilei) October 31, 2023

These images and many more like them, however, are raising concerns among political experts and the public alike. Isabelle Frances-Wright, head of The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, has been quoted as saying that the extensive use of AI in Argentina’s elections is worrying. “I absolutely think it’s a slippery slope. In a year from now, what already seems very realistic will only seem more so,” she said. Earlier too, Russell Wald, the policy director at Stanford University’s Institute for Human Centered AI told ABC News, “The use of this tech by campaigns could be concerning, not only because it could be used to spread misinformation to the electorate, but also because there are no rules in place to prevent its use.” [caption id=“attachment_13394342” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] An AI-generated image made by the campaign staff of Sergio Massa. Image Courtesy: Instagram[/caption] AI and elections And while Argentina is leading when it comes to using AI in their presidential campaign, the country is not alone. In June, Florida governor Ron DeSantis , who is running for US president, used AI-generated images of former President Trump hugging Anthony Fauci. The images were used in a video showing Trump axing a number of individuals, reminiscent of his days as star of the reality show The Apprentice. However, he refuses to fire Fauci. News agency AFP had then reported that the images were fake. **Also read: How AI could manipulate voters and undermine democracy** President Joe Biden has also been used in deepfakes. In May, a video was released showing him dressed as trans star Dylan Mulvaney promoting Bud Light. And AI in elections has got people across the world concerned. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy has revealed that nearly six in 10 American adults (58 per cent) think AI tools will increase the spread of false and misleading information during next year’s elections. By comparison, only six per cent think AI will decrease the spread of misinformation while one-third say it won’t make much of a difference. The poll further revealed that 83 per cent of people said it would be bad for candidates to create false or misleading media for political ads. And it’s not just US-specific. Britain’s cybersecurity agency also said that AI poses a threat to the country’s next national election in 2025. In India too, AI-powered videos or images are circulating ahead of the five-state Assembly elections, causing voters to wonder what’s real and what’s not. Curb the AI menace And realising just how dangerous this tech could be, tech giants such as Meta and Google are taking steps in the right direction. In September, Google introduced a new policy to curb the spread of misinformation due to use of AI. The company has made it mandatory for election ads to disclose any use of AI-generated content. Google’s new policy states, “In mid-November 2023, we are updating our Political content policy to require that all verified election advertisers in regions where verification is required must prominently disclose when their ads contain synthetic content that inauthentically depicts real or realistic-looking people or events. This disclosure must be clear and conspicuous, and must be placed in a location where it is likely to be noticed by users. This policy will apply to image, video, and audio content.” Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta said that it would require advertisers to disclose when potentially misleading AI-generated or altered content is featured in political, electoral, or social issue ads. The new rule applies to advertisements on Facebook and Instagram that contain “realistic” images, videos, or audio falsely showing someone doing something they never did or imagining a real event playing out differently than it did in reality. Content depicting realistic-looking fake people or events would also need to be disclosed. The policy is expected to go into effect next year. With inputs from agencies