AI is already permeating politics — and it's time to put rules in place, experts say
But it can also be leveraged in much more subtle ways. Without any rules in place, we won't know the full extent to which it's being put to use, says the author of a new report.
"We are still in the early days, and we're in this weird period where there aren't rules about disclosure about AI, and there also aren't norms yet about disclosure around uses of generative AI," says University of Ottawa professor Elizabeth Dubois.
"We don't necessarily know everything that's happening."
In a report released Wednesday, Dubois outlines ways in which AI is being employed in both Canada and the U.S. — for polling, predicting election results, helping prepare lobbying strategies and detecting abusive social-media posts during campaigns.
Generative AI, or technology that can create text, images and videos, hit the mainstream with the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022.
Many Canadians are already using the technology in their everyday lives, and it is also being used to create political content, such as campaign materials. In the United States last year, the Republican Party released its first AI-generated attack ad.
Sometimes it's obvious that AI has been used, like with the three-armed woman.
When the Alberta Party shared a video of a man's endorsement online in January 2023, people on social media quickly pointed out he wasn't a real person, says the report. It was deleted.
But if the content looks real, Dubois says that can be hard to trace.
The lack of established rules and norms on AI use and disclosure is a "real problem," she says.
"If we don't know what's happening, then we can't make sure it's happening in a way that supports fair elections and strong democracies, right?"
Nestor Maslej, a research manager at Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, agrees that's a "completely valid concern."
One way AI could do real harm in elections is through deepfake videos.
Deepfakes, or fake videos that make it look like a celebrity or public figure is saying something they're not, have been around for years.
Maslej cites high-profile examples of fake videos of former U.S. president Barack Obama saying disparaging things, and a false video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy surrendering to Russia.
Those examples "occurred in the past when the technology wasn't as good and wasn’t as capable, but the technology is only going to continue getting better," he says.
Maslej says the technology is progressing quickly, and newer versions of generative AI are making it more difficult to tell whether images or videos are fake.
There's also evidence that humans struggle to identify synthetically generated audio, he notes.
"Deepfake voices (are) something that has tended to trip up a lot of humans before."
It's not to suggest that AI can't be used in a responsible way, Maslej points out, but it can also be used in election campaigns for malicious purposes.
Research shows "it’s relatively easy and not that expensive to set up AI disinformation pipelines," he says.
Not all voters are equally vulnerable.
Individuals who aren’t as familiar with these types of technologies are likely to be "much more susceptible to being confused and taking something that is in fact false as being real," Maslej notes.
One way to put in place some guardrails is with watermarking technology, he says. It automatically marks AI-generated content as such so people don't mistake it as real.
No matter the solution that policymakers decide upon, "the time to act is now," Maslej says.
"It does seem to me that the mood in Canadian politics has sometimes become a bit more more tricky and adversarial, but you would hope there is a still an understanding among all participants that something like AI disinformation can create a worse atmosphere for everybody."
It’s time to have government agencies identify the risks and harms that AI can pose in the electoral processes, he says.
"If we wait for there to be, I don't know, some kind of deepfake of (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau that causes the Liberals to lose the election, then I think we’re going to open a very nasty can of political worms."
Some malicious uses of AI are already covered by existing law in Canada, Dubois says.
The use of deepfake videos to impersonate a candidate, for instance, is already illegal under elections law.
"On the other hand, there are potential uses that are novel or that will not clearly fit within the bounds of existing rules," she says.
"And so there, it really has to be a kind of case-by-case basis, initially, until we figure out the bounds of how these tools might get used."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Trump appeals to women in return to North Carolina without Mark Robinson, a top in-state supporter
Donald Trump returned to North Carolina on Saturday, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder – it’s a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Cards Against Humanity sues Elon Musk's SpaceX over alleged trespassing in Texas
The maker of the popular party game Cards Against Humanity is accusing Elon Musk's SpaceX of trespassing on and damaging a plot of vacant land the company owns in Texas.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here’s what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas — and lately, that’s in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.