The Deepfake Dilemma: A Virtual Panel with AI, National Security, and Democracy Experts

The evolution of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new and increasingly accessible tools that will define the information ecosystem in which the 2024 election takes place. On June 28th, an event sponsored by Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media convened experts in national security, AI, and democracy to discuss what can be done to safeguard American national security and electoral systems from emerging generative AI technologies.

 

 

Featured on the panel were Michael Rogers, Isabelle Frances Wright, and Sarah Myers West. Admiral Rogers is a member of the Council, who retired from the U.S. Navy in 2018 after nearly 37 years of service rising to the rank of four-star admiral, and was also the former director of the National Security Agency. Isabelle Frances Wright, also a member of the Council, is the founder and executive director of Vote For Freedom. Previously, Isabelle was the global head of election integrity policy at Tiktok. Dr. Myers West is the managing director of the AI Now Institute and a visiting research scientist at the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University. She also recently served a term as a senior advisor on AI at the Federal Trade Commission.

This event framed the potential threats of deepfake content and examined the paths forward to ensure a safe and healthy information environment around the 2024 election. During the discussion, the speakers highlighted the clear linkage between social media platforms and emerging artificial intelligence technologies, emphasized the need for multi-sectoral approaches, and called for bipartisan policy solutions.