Meta set to combat AI-generated misinformation ahead of global elections

Meta to fight misinformation: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced plans to establish a dedicated team aimed at addressing disinformation and the misuse of generative artificial intelligence in the lead-up to the European Parliament elections scheduled for June. Concerns have emerged regarding potential election interference and the dissemination of misleading content generated by AI technology.

The proliferation of generative AI, capable of rapidly producing text, images, and videos in response to prompts, has raised alarms about its potential to disrupt significant elections worldwide this year.

The European Parliament elections, scheduled for June 6-9, will see 720 lawmakers, in conjunction with EU governments, shaping new policies and legislation for the European Union.

Marco Pancini, Meta's head of EU affairs, stated in a blog post that as the election approaches, Meta will activate an Elections Operations Center to identify and address potential threats in real time. The team, comprised of experts from various fields including intelligence, data science, engineering, research, operations, content policy, and legal, will focus on combating misinformation, countering influence operations, and mitigating risks associated with the misuse of generative AI technology.

Currently collaborating with 26 independent fact-checking organisations across the European Union covering 22 languages, Meta intends to expand its partnership by adding three new partners in Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia, according to Pancini.

Earlier this month, Meta, along with Microsoft, OpenAI, and 17 other technology companies, pledged to collaborate in preventing deceptive AI-generated content from interfering with elections worldwide in 2024.

(With Reuters inputs)