20 leading technology companies including Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok, and X pledge to work together to detect and counter harmful AI content<\/i><\/p>\n
MUNICH \u2013 February 16, 2024 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Today at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), leading technology companies pledged to help prevent deceptive AI content from interfering with this year\u2019s global elections in which more than four billion people in over 40 countries will vote.<\/p>\n The \u201cTech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections\u201d is a set of commitments to deploy technology countering harmful AI-generated content meant to deceive voters. Signatories pledge to work collaboratively on tools to detect and address online distribution of such AI content, drive educational campaigns, and provide transparency, among other concrete steps. It also includes a broad set of principles, including the importance of tracking the origin of deceptive election-related content and the need to raise public awareness about the problem. The accord is one important step to safeguard online communities against harmful AI content, and builds on the individual companies\u2019 ongoing work.<\/p>\n Digital content addressed by the accord consists of AI-generated audio, video, and images that deceptively fake or alter the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates, election officials, and other key stakeholders in a democratic election, or that provide false information to voters about when, where, and how they can vote.<\/p>\n As of today, the signatories are: Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, Arm, ElevenLabs, Google, IBM, Inflection AI, LinkedIn, McAfee, Meta, Microsoft, Nota, OpenAI, Snap, Stability AI, TikTok, TrendMicro, Truepic, and X.<\/p>\n Participating companies agreed to eight specific commitments:<\/p>\n These commitments apply where they are relevant for services each company provides.<\/p>\n \u201cElections are the beating heart of democracies. The Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 elections is a crucial step in advancing election integrity, increasing societal resilience, and creating trustworthy tech practices,\u201d said\u00a0Ambassador Christopher Heusgen, Munich Security Conference Chairman<\/strong>. \u201cMSC is proud to offer a platform for technology companies to take steps toward reigning in threats emanating from AI while employing it for democratic good at the same time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTransparency builds trust,\u201d said\u00a0Dana Rao, General Counsel and Chief Trust Officer at Adobe<\/strong>. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re excited to see this effort to build the infrastructure we need to provide context for the content consumers are seeing online. With elections happening around the world this year, we need to invest in media literacy campaigns to ensure people know they can\u2019t trust everything they see and hear online, and that there are tools out there to help them understand what\u2019s true.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDemocracy rests on safe and secure elections,\u201d said\u00a0Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs at Google<\/strong>. \u201cGoogle has been supporting election integrity for years, and today\u2019s accord reflects an industry-side commitment against AI-generated election misinformation that erodes trust. We can\u2019t let digital abuse threaten AI\u2019s generational opportunity to improve our economies, create new jobs, and drive progress in health and science.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDisinformation campaigns are not new, but in this exceptional year of elections \u2013 with more than 4 billion people heading to the polls worldwide \u2013 concrete, cooperative measures are needed to protect people and societies from the amplified risks of AI-generated deceptive content,\u201d said\u00a0Christina Montgomery, Vice President and Chief Privacy & Trust Officer, IBM.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s why IBM today reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring safe, trustworthy, and ethical AI, signing the \u2018Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections\u2019 alongside industry peers at the Munich Security Conference.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWith so many major elections taking place this year, it\u2019s vital we do what we can to prevent people being deceived by AI-generated content,\u201d said\u00a0Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs at Meta.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThis work is bigger than any one company and will require a huge effort across industry, government and civil society. Hopefully, this accord can serve as a meaningful step from industry in meeting that challenge.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n