Election ads generated by artificial intelligence will have a mandatory content tag on Google

The policy will apply to image, video and audio content across all of its platforms, according to subsidiary Alphabet

Reuters


Sep 7, 2023 at 2:23 pm – Updated 9 minutes ago

Artificial intelligence and generative language. Photo: Pixabay

(Reuters) – Google said on Wednesday that it will require all election advertisers, starting in mid-November, to add clear and visible disclosure when their ads contain artificial intelligence-generated content.

The policy will apply to image, video and audio content across all of its platforms, according to subsidiary Alphabet.

The “boom” in adopting generative AI has created opportunities to use tools with this technology to create content such as movie scripts, video clips, images, and sounds for ads.

Also read: “I am afraid of artificial intelligence, I think it should be regulated and I have proposals on how to do it,” says Apple co-founder

Deepfakes created by artificial intelligence algorithms threaten to blur the lines between reality and fiction, making it difficult for voters to distinguish between the real and the fake.

Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant said last month that it had seen an increase in the use of artificial intelligence to conduct online manipulation campaigns in recent years, although the use of the technology in other digital hacks has so far been limited.

Generative AI would allow groups with limited resources to produce high-quality content at scale, according to Mandiant.

Google has been criticized for misleading information on its platforms, and is implementing updates to its transparency procedures, as the United States will choose its next president in November 2024.

The advertising and search giant has stated that any synthetic content unrelated to the claims made in the ad will be exempt from the disclosure requirement.

(Reporting by Akshita Toshniwal in Bengaluru)