Most Australians fear the impact of deepfakes on electoral integrity
Adobe released the ANZ version of its Study of the future of trust last week, and paints a picture of a community interested in what AI can do for good, but wary of how it could be misused.
A survey of consumers in Australia and New Zealand has revealed concerns about the maturity of generative AI (GenAI) technologies, the danger posed by deepfakes and the spread of misinformation.
Adobe Future of Trust Study 2024Australia and New Zealand edition, surveyed 1,005 ANZ consumers aged 18 and over and found people have mixed opinions about AI as part of a larger global study.
For example, 66 percent of respondents felt that GenAI would make it easier to find information, while 55 percent expected the technology to make them more productive. Only 9 percent of people said they use AI regularly, but 63 percent plan to use it more over the next year.
However, AI’s ability to create misinformation and deepfakes is of particular concern.
Eighty-two percent of respondents said they were concerned about content being altered to create misinformation, and 38 percent considered videos and images to be at particular risk of being altered. That being the case, 32 percent have stopped using social media or decreased their use, while 78 percent feel deepfakes and misinformation could have a negative impact on the election.
Despite those fears, respondents felt there was a clear need for more work to be done. 87 percent expect governments and technology companies to work together to protect the electoral process, while 80 percent expect political candidates should be banned from using AI-created content to promote themselves, especially when lacking facts. verification tools available.
“Generative AI impacts a wide range of our society,” said Chandra Sinnathamby, B2B strategy director for digital media and GTM at Adobe Asia-Pacific, at an event launching the study. “Whether it’s the economic output that we produce here, it has the potential to have a real positive impact.”
However, Sinnathamby noted that this will only be possible as long as the right barriers and regulations are in place.
“[AI] “It has the potential to impact important events in our society, such as an electoral process,” Sinnathamby said, “and we know that this year is a pretty special year. More than half of the world’s population, more than 4 billion people, are going to cast their vote in 64 countries, which is quite astonishing, and the risk of misinformation affecting the results is quite significant.
“It’s something we really need to think about: how we can minimize those impacts.”
Jennifer Mulveny, Adobe’s director of government relations for Asia-Pacific, said in a statement that the study “underscores the importance of developing media literacy among consumers, where they are not only alert to harmful deepfakes but have the tools to discern “the reality of fiction.” .
