As AI deepfake videos become more realistic and more Americans rely on AI chatbots for information, the technology is growing ever-present in political campaigns as well.
With the midterm elections just weeks away, WAMC's Grant Ashley spoke with New York Attorney General Letitia James to learn how voters can spot AI-generated misinformation. Here's part of their conversation.
James, a Democrat, is running for reelection this year against former federal prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy, a Republican.
Early voting in New York begins Oct. 24, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Editor's note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Ashley: So your office made a guide to protect voters from AI in 2024. Can you talk about the updates you made this year?
James: Yeah, we released this guide in 2024, and we told people to watch for warning signs like strange lighting or unnatural movements. Yesterday, we released an updated guide to help New Yorkers spot, avoid and report election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence. AIs can now make fake videos; they can make photos and audio that look and sound like real people, and fake messages that look like they came from your local board of elections. And these warning signs may not be there all the time. The fake ones have gotten really, really good.
More people are using AI chatbots and asking them where and how to vote. And chatbots can confidently give the wrong answer. We've seen these chatbots give voters the wrong deadlines, the wrong rules for city or state, and voting requirements that do not exist.
And so, the best way to get information is to call your local board of elections, or you can call your local elected official, or you can call the Office of the Attorney General. Our election protection hotline at (866) 390-2992.
Look at the source of the information. At the information, does it seem reliable? Are established news outlets reporting it? Is it on your local board of elections website? If it's shocking, emotional, or pushes you to act fast or stay home or slow down, fakes are designed basically to get that reaction. And we want everyone to have all of the information which is accurate, and certainly there's no substitute for checking with an official source. And so, I urge everyone to reach out to their local board of elections and/or to the Office of the Attorney General and/or their local elected official.
Ashley: And you've said bad actors can spread lies more easily with AI deepfake videos or other AI tools. Who are these bad actors, and what are their motives, generally speaking?
James: So suppression of the vote, clearly. there's a lot of different factors that might be involved with regards to misinformation and disinformation.
In 2024, an AI-generated President Biden called New Hampshire Democrats and told them not to vote. Our office was involved with a bad actor who surgically targeted Black people in Upstate New York, in Michigan and in Illinois. We were able to secure judgment against that individual in the state of Michigan. My colleague, Attorney General Dana Nessel, she prosecuted those individuals as well, and they basically told communities of color wrong information and inaccurate information with respect to where and when to vote.
Ashley: And then it's illegal under New York State law to send out political messaging that's AI-generated or manipulated unless it's clearly labeled. What are the consequences for violating that law, and how easy or difficult is it to hold people accountable for violating it?
James: So the district attorney's office is responsible for prosecuting those cases. They've got authority to bring actions against bad actors who provide false information to voters. The consequences could be from a fine to probation to jail. That legislation was passed recently, and what we are seeing now is more fake official notices and manipulated election videos, images, and audio without labels. The law requires that you indicate that it is AI-generated, but a lot of these bad actors are ignoring the law, and it's sometimes it could be difficult to determine where they're coming from. But that's why we are focused again on misinformation, disinformation, and ensuring that everyone's right to vote is protected and secure.
Ashley: And then, before I let you go, you're running for re-election this year. Have fake AI videos come up in your campaign at all?
James: Not as of yet.
Ashley: Alright, well, I'll let you go. But thank you so much for making the time today.
James: I appreciate you, and make sure you go out and vote.
Ashley: Will do, thank you.
