Australia's election regulator warns of AI threat to democracy

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 18:02 · Archive

Australia's electoral commissioner says artificial intelligence is amplifying threats to election integrity through deepfakes and misinformation.

Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that artificial intelligence represents a new threat to electoral integrity, amplifying and accelerating existing dangers through deepfakes and misinformation.

Pope said the AEC could tackle unauthorised campaigning, educate the public and publish generalised debunks, but could only very rarely make truth determinations. He raised concerns that being asked to regulate and make judgements on content could compromise the regulator's impartiality. He floated the idea of a legal requirement to label deepfakes.

When the committee presented hypothetical scenarios—including deepfakes of the prime minister and AI-generated false voting instructions—Pope said the AEC did not have power to address purely reputational attacks. Misleading information could only be stopped if it related to how voters cast their ballots. Banning deepfakes entirely might also conflict with Australia's implied freedom of political communication, he warned.

How it is being reported

• 'Biting heads off puppies': AI's threat to electionsAustralia's election regulator has warned artificial intelligence is making democracy harder to protect, but doesn't believe it's all up to him to fix.Perth Now · 14 Oct, 17:39
• 'Biting heads off puppies': AI's threat to electionsAustralia's election regulator has warned artificial intelligence is making democracy harder to protect, but doesn't believe it's all up to him to fix.The West Australian · 14 Oct, 17:39

In this story: Jeff Pope · Kate Chaney · Australian Electoral Commission · Australia

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