Is there room for deep fakes in democracy? AI startups seem to think so

Daybreak

Just like every Lok Sabha election in the last 72 years, millions of people will vote for a new government over the next couple of weeks.

But there is one thing that really sets this election apart. Never before have political parties actively used Generative Artificial IntelIigence at this scale. It is a turning point in India’s electoral evolution.

Some AI startups in India have been developing hyper-personalised voter experiences for political parties. This comes at a time when Gen AI tools like deepfakes have become very sophisticated — to the point where even experts often struggle to tell what is real and what is not.

In the run-up to the election, when you are being bombarded with political content, videos and images, this can be very dangerous. Yet, there are barely any rules in place to regulate the use of this technology during the election process.

What does this mean for the world’s largest democracy?

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