the use of teleoperator robots banned in view of the presidential elections

Artificial intelligence is interfering with electoral campaigns around the world, so much so that on February 13, the United States banned teleoperator robots following a fake phone call from Joe Biden.

A few weeks ago, a Democratic candidate for Congress made headlines by relying on a robot to call voters on the phone and encourage them to vote for her. Immediately, political abuses were imagined and it was Joe Biden, the American president who was the first to pay the price.

His voice, cloned by artificial intelligence, left several telephone messages in an attempt to dissuade voters from voting in the New Hampshire primary. Consequently, the FCC, the American telecoms watchdog, has just banned robotic calls with voices generated by artificial intelligence. Unless, of course, there is written consent from the recipient.

According to the survey, up to 25,000 people were contacted, more than enough to tip an election that would be a little close. Hence the importance of prohibiting this type of practice before they develop.

AI creators take the lead

From now on, it is the actors themselves who realize that their tools can be misused and who take the lead. Midjourney, for example, the tool that was used to create the image of the Pope in a down jacket, plans to block, for a year, the creation of photos featuring Donald Trump or Joe Biden. As around thirty presidential elections are planned around the world this year, it is likely that other personalities will be withdrawn. Again, temporarily.

On the side of Facebook and Instagram, we can observe the same awareness. All AI-generated photos will be clearly identified on these networks. On the other hand, it is more vague on the side of TikTok and X. But the European Union intends to take advantage of the new legislation on artificial intelligence to put pressure on them, because the campaign for the European elections has already started.