AI deepfakes are threatening the European Parliament elections

European Parliament elections will happen in two weeks, and wrongdoers are using AI deepfakes to manipulate them. As you might already know, they are getting more accurate. Thus, Microsoft wants to provide political parties, campaigns, news organizations, and voters with the right tools to safeguard the democratic process.

Can hackers use Microsoft AI tools to manipulate elections?

The tech giant announced a few months ago that cybercriminals won’t be able to use official tools to generate AI deepfakes. Also, during the Munich Security Conference, Microsoft and other companies such as X, TikTok, Google, Adobe, LinkedIn, Meta, and Amazon signed the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in the 2024 elections.

The companies are developing tools, like Content Credentials, to prevent AI deepfakes from manipulating elections. Also, they are working on implementing a C2PA standard, using watermarks for AI generations and education campaigns.

Microsoft arranged sessions in Brussels and across the 27 Member States to educate candidates and the political staff about deepfakes and provide effective solutions. One of them is a website that allows us to report deceptive AI-generated content.

The news organizations and election officials also received other Content Integrity tools, such as an easy-to-use web application and a mobile application that will enable them to add Content Credentials to their media. The apps should prevent hackers from using AI to create deepfakes from their photos and videos to manipulate the elections.

Protect your organization with AccountGuard

Human rights and Non-profit organizations, journalists, and political members can now use Microsoft AccountGuard. The tool detects and defends users against high-risk organizations. If you are a Microsoft 365 customer, you can use it without an additional fee. However, it is only available in 23 EU Member States and the European Parliament.

Microsoft recently launched an educational campaign to teach EU citizens from all 27 EU Member States about AI-generated deepfakes to prevent hackers from manipulating the elections. Besides, it promotes trusted official EU sources for voting information and other non-governmental initiatives related to this topic.

In addition, Microsoft and OpenAI launched the Societal Resilience Fund. It provides grants to promote AI education and training among voters and vulnerable communities. Also, the tech giant supports the Use Your Vote campaign.

Ultimately, Microsoft will work on various tools to prevent AI deepfakes from manipulating elections. In addition, we can also contribute by reporting AI-generated content when it spreads misinformation. Hopefully, more companies will sign the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI.

Did you see any AI deepfakes on your feed spreading misinformation about a political party? Let us know in the comments.