Microsoft and OpenAI are joining forces to combat the growing threat of deepfakes used to mislead voters in elections around the world. With a record number of people heading to the polls this year, the two tech giants have announced a $2 million “societal resilience fund” to educate voters and empower them to critically evaluate information online.
Deepfakes, which are AI-generated videos or audio that can be manipulated to make it appear like someone said or did something they never did, pose a significant risk to democratic processes. The ease with which these tools can be created and disseminated raises concerns about their potential to sway public opinion, particularly among vulnerable communities.
This initiative comes on the heels of similar efforts by other major tech companies. Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) have both implemented restrictions on their AI tools to prevent their use in creating election-related deepfakes.
The Microsoft-OpenAI fund will focus on “furthering AI education and literacy among voters and vulnerable communities,” according to a blog post by the companies. Grants will be awarded to organizations like Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). These grants aim to create a more informed public by providing training programs that equip people with the knowledge to identify and resist deepfakes and other forms of online misinformation.
“The launch of the Societal Resilience Fund is just one step that represents Microsoft and OpenAI’s commitment to address the challenges and needs in the AI literacy and education space,” said Teresa Hutson, Microsoft’s corporate VP for technology and corporate responsibility. “We will remain dedicated to this work and continue collaborating with organizations that share our goals and values.”
This joint effort by Microsoft and OpenAI highlights the growing concern about the potential misuse of AI in elections. By promoting AI literacy and education, they hope to empower voters and safeguard democratic processes from the deceptive influence of deepfakes.
Philips Babatunde