Georgia politicians look to protect elections from AI, foreign interference
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Georgia lawmakers are trying to keep up with artificial intelligence by working on state-specific legislation to try to ward off anyone trying to mess with voters before the next election.
HB 986 would make it a criminal offense if someone creates a deep fake.
HB 988 to create annual reports detailing how state agencies are using AI.
Business professor David Schweidel showed Atlanta News First believable AI images of political figures using different software. He said that the technology is not far from being able to make realistic videos.
The images are called deep fakes which can range from a cartoon image to something more realistic.
“If we want to police this, this is something that needs to happen now,” said Schweidel.
Georgia Secretary of State Grad Raffensperger said AI and foreign interference are two of the greatest risks to Georgia’s November elections. He wants the state to make sure anyone voting would have to identify their ties to foreign governments.
“If you go back to some of the elections, we’ve had recently some of the misinformation you’ve seen on the internet and social media was coming from Iran, China, Russia, in fact that’s even coming right now,” said Raffensperger.
Schweidel said it’s important limits are set by the federal government.
“It’s saying this is not allowed in Georgia, but it is allowed in Texas and so the person or the server may be in Texas where it’s legal, what type of action can I take,” said Schweidel.
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