AI's Risk to Democracy - Tracker

Generative AI poses a significant risk to democracy. One that we need to address rapidly before significant harm is done.

Most lawmakers accept messages from anyone in their district or region. They only require that you have a name, physical address, and email.

While spam has been an issue, politicians had tools to separate their base from bots.

Not anymore.

Generative AI - like Chat GPT -  enables bad actors to send massive amounts of messages to lawmakers that look like they’re coming from real people. This makes it increasingly difficult to identify when messages have been auto-generated.

How will your voice matter when your reps don't know if it's real? Or when your voice could be easily spoofed?

Here's the latest on AI's looming threat to democracy...

Report Reveals U.K. Government Use of Artificial Intelligence

October 25, 2023

Google Tests New AI Life Coach

August 17, 2023

• Google is testing new artificial intelligence tools that would act as a life coach for users, offering personal and professional advice, ideas, tutoring sessions, and more.
• Google created the project with DeepMind, a research lab in London. Many view Google DeepMind’s new generative AI as an attempt to get ahead of its competitors in the tech industry.
• Google DeepMind’s project would give users suggestions on navigating specific issues or recommendations on improving situations. It could teach new skills, plan workouts, create financial budgets, and more. A team of over 100 experts and the $7.3 billion startup Scale AI are involved in the project.
• Currently, Google’s chatbot Bard does not — and is not permitted to — give people advice. Google may never deploy these tools, but they’re still being tested for public use. 

Would you take life advice from AI?

AI Job Losses Will Mainly Impact Low-Wage Workers

August 2, 2023

• A new report by the McKinsey Global Institute has found that low-wage workers are 14 times more likely to lose their jobs to AI than higher-earning workers.
• The researchers found that higher-paying jobs will be impacted, too, but these workers' roles are more likely to change and shift rather than disappear entirely. 
• The report found that almost one-third of total hours worked in the U.S. could be done by automatic systems by 2030.

How do you feel about AI in your workplace? 

EU Advances in AI Regulations

July 19, 2023

• European Union lawmakers advanced landmark restrictions on using artificial intelligence, the world's first comprehensive AI law, as American tech giants continue to invest heavily in the technology.
• The EU's first regulatory AI framework was proposed in April 2021 by the European Commission. The legislation aims to ensure safe, transparent, and people-driven AI systems.
• The EU AI Act now awaits negotiations with the European Council, with officials aiming for a final agreement by the end of the year.

Should the U.S. do the same?

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into OpenAI, the tech start-up behind ChatGPT.
• The agency sent a 20-page letter to OpenAI, inquiring about the company's security practices and requesting information on how it trains its AI models and handles personal data.
• The FTC is also investigating potential harm to consumers caused by data collection and providing false information, which poses the largest regulatory threat to OpenAI so far. 
• In March 2023, Italy's data protection authority banned ChatGPT, accusing OpenAI of unlawful data collection and the absence of an age-verification system to protect minors from inappropriate content. OpenAI later reinstated access to ChatGPT after making the changes requested by the Italian authority.

Should the FTC wait for substantial harm before regulating AI?

AI Industry and Researchers Issue Warning About 'Extinction' Risk

May 31, 2023

• AI experts, policymakers, and public figures have signed a statement published by the Center for AI Safety, emphasizing the need to address the risk of global extinction caused by artificial intelligence. 
• The signatories include musician Grimes, neuroscientist Sam Harris, CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman, cryptologist Martin Hellman, computer scientist and ‘godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton, and more.
• The statement read: 

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Do you think there should be a six-month moratorium on AI development?

Microsoft President Urges Lawmakers to Control AI

May 25, 2023

• Microsoft’s president Brad Smith endorsed a set of regulations for artificial intelligence as the company, like many of its competitors, is navigating concerns from the public and government regarding the technology’s risks.
• The company proposed a group of regulations, including a requirement to install an AI emergency braking system in critical infrastructure, where the user would be able to slow down or entirely turn off the AI system when necessary. 
• Microsoft also suggested laws that clarify when legal obligations apply to the technology. Additionally, Smith recommended introducing labels to make it clear when AI produced an image or video.
• Many have questioned the validity of the AI developers calling for regulation, criticizing the tech leaders for attempting to shift the blame onto the government.

Are you skeptical of Microsoft's push to regulate AI?

AI Bill of Rights: Washington's or ChatGPT's?

May 23, 2023

• With artificial intelligence systems developing exponentially, the public is looking toward lawmakers and experts to regulate the technology before it imposes any severe risks to society. 
• Following the release of ChatGPT 4 —and a flurry of questions and concerns nationwide — the federal government is taking more serious action on potential AI legislation. The Senate held a hearing earlier this month, where CEO Sam Altman of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, testified. Altman urged the government to intervene in AI's powerful and unknown potential before it's too late.
• Experts like Geoffrey Hinton, "the godfather of AI," are speaking out against the speedy evolution of the tech, saying developers are moving towards dangerous territories. They believe the impact will be so significant that it will risk jobs, information safety, democracy, and even humanity. 

Do you want an AI Bill of Rights? 

AI CEO Testifies Before Congress

May 16, 2023

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified at a Senate hearing today, telling Congress that government intervention is "critical to mitigat[ing] the risks of increasingly powerful" AI technology. 
• Altman proposed to the committee the creation of a U.S. or international agency that would license powerful AI systems and have the authority to "ensure compliance with safety standards." He said:

"As this technology advances, we understand that people are anxious about how it could change the way we live. We are too."

• Altman said a new regulatory agency should impose safeguards to block AI models that could "self-replicate and self-exfiltrate into the wild," pointing to worries about AI manipulating humans into handing over control. 
• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on privacy, technology, and the law, believes companies should be required to test their AI systems and disclose the known risks before they're released to the public. He expressed concern specifically about the job market.

What do you think will happen if AI is not regulated soon?

AI 'Godfather' Warns There Is Danger Ahead

May 3, 2023

• The “godfather of AI,” Geoffrey Hinton, left his role at Google, where he worked as an artificial intelligence pioneer for over a decade so that he could speak freely about the risk of the up-and-coming technology. 
• On Monday, Hinton officially joined a growing group of critics speaking out against AI, saying developers are moving toward dangerous territories. The experts are calling out companies like Google for their aggressive campaigns to create products based on generative AI, like ChatGPT. Hinton fears the race may heighten until it’s impossible to stop. 
• Many industry insiders say these new systems could lead to world-altering breakthroughs, similar to the introduction of the web browser in the 1990s. They believe the impact will be so significant that it will risk jobs, information safety, democracy, and even humanity. 
• Hinton, who built the system that led to the creation of ChatGPT, even went so far as to say he regrets his life's work. He believes that as AI systems improve, they'll become increasingly dangerous. He said:

“I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have…It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things.”

Do you think there should be a six-month moratorium on AI development?

Lawmakers Fail to Differentiate Between Human and AI Letters

April 27, 2023

• A new study by Cornell University revealed that state legislators in the U.S. are unable to distinguish between AI-generated letters and those written by actual constituents.
• The groundbreaking research is raising concerns about the security of the nation's democracy, as it relies directly upon the public having a fair say in what their elected representatives are taking action on. 
• While the study is only a preliminary step, and more research is needed to examine the full effects of AI on democracy, the analysis shows that technology is evolving to influence politics. The study's authors urge lawmakers to be more mindful of how AI can be misused to disrupt the democratic process. 

Are you concerned about AI's impact on democracy?

Should Congress Regulate AI?

April 26, 2023

• In recent weeks, Congress has been considering legislation to regulate artificial intelligence. 
• Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has taken early steps toward legislation, circulating a broad framework on regulating AI among experts. The framework "outlines a new regulatory regime that would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously making sure the U.S. advances and leads in this transformative technology."
• In March, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced a bill written by ChatGPT that called for a nonpartisan commission on AI regulation.

Do you support AI regulation?