2024-07-29 15:40:39
Elon Musk, the owner of the Gesture platform caused controversy, not only because of the manipulation of video content, but also because it seems to be against the platform’s own principles against synthetic and altered media. The video shared by Musk is a doctored version of a recent Harris campaign video, which has him saying things he never said. The original video has a “parody” tag, but Musk’s rewrite is not, where the reference to AI-generated content, which is mandatory according to X’s prolicy, is omitted. Instead, Musk added his own comment: “This is awesome,” along with a smiley emoji.
The event shows how AI-modified media can influence elections, while legislation to counter it is still being developed. For example, earlier this year, an automated call that used AI to imitate President Joe Biden’s voice urged New Hampshire voters to stay home during the primaries. Electoral authorities are training staff on how to handle AI interference on or at the end of election day, while laws regarding AI rights in advertisements are still under development or awaiting voting.
According to X’s policies, “synthetic, manipulative or extratextual media that can deceive or confuse people and cause harm” is not allowed on the platform. X announced to evaluate first if the content has been “significantly altered and fraudulent, manipulated or written”, which includes “recorded material” added or changed “which changes the understanding, meaning or the discourse of the media”. X said that satire does not violate the policy unless it causes “significant confusion about the truth of the media.” Even a sympathetic reading of these policies would suggest that Musk’s post violates them.
Musk’s post generated negative reactions from the political left. Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar wrote on The Ways that if she leaves Musk’s post without a position, X and Musk “will not violate the same rules as regardless of party.” Klobuchar has proposed legislation to require notifications about political ads that are significantly altered or generated with AI. California Governor Gavin Newsom also criticized Musk’s post, writing that such work should be illegal and adding that he will sign legislation in the coming weeks to ensure it becomes so. In response, Musk shared a link to the original post of the digitally altered video that included the parody logo: “I checked with international authorities on the matter, and it appears that satire is still legal in the United States,” he added.
#Elon #Musk #breaks #rules #posts #deep #video #Kamala #Harris