Comment by Ben Colman

Now, Taiwan and Slovenia are not America, but the same thing can and has, in election materials, in robocalls, and in campaign affiliate-disseminated memes, happened here. This is not fear mongering, nor is it AI alarmism, doomerism, or conspiracy-minded hyperbole. It is simply the logical progression of the weaponization of deepfakes. If legislative measures are not expeditiously taken to enforce the proactive and detection of deepfakes where Americans consume content, deepfakes will have a sizable impact on our election this November and every election going forward, with potential negative implications and effects on and for both sides of the aisle. I applaud the efforts of ranking member Hawley and Senator Klobuchar on their Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act. Unlike previous measures that have more or less given the pen to the largest content and social platforms, this law could meet any potential threats that deepfakes pose to our elections head-on and have tangible consequences for those seeking to disrupt our democracy with deepfakes — as well as the platforms used to disseminate such materials. Though states like Minnesota have passed measures against specific uses of deepfakes, there are no federal laws regarding the detection or prevention of dangerous deepfakes on the books, and this law would do a world of good in ensuring some uses of deepfakes do not, in fact, impact the coming elections and all that come after. Unverified source (2024)