UK deputy PM launches global push to protect elections from AI, misinformation
- British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden called for democratic countries to unite against the use of AI by malign states to influence elections and spread misinformation.
- Dowden announced plans for a global government compact to combat deceptive AI use in elections during the Summit for Democracy in Seoul.
- The Summit for Democracy aims to address democratic challenges and protect rights and freedoms, initiated by U.S. President Joe Biden.
- Details of the compact are still being finalized, with several countries already on board.
- Dowden highlighted the need for government-led efforts to counter AI threats, following the example of tech companies coordinating responses to AI-generated deepfakes.
- The UK has been dealing with a controversy over an edited photo of Princess Kate, unrelated to foreign misinformation risks in elections.
- Dowden emphasized that the compact focuses on external threats from malign foreign states and not internal political matters of individual nations.
- He expressed concerns about the war in Ukraine as a significant threat to democracy, adding urgency to current discussions
- Dowden also raised alarm over reported weapons transfers from North Korea to Russia, urging Moscow to refrain from interfering in the Korean peninsula.
- North Korea and Russia have strengthened military ties, denying allegations of North Korea supplying Russia with military equipment used in the Ukraine conflict.
