In 2024, there will be elections in over 60 countries, with this representing a combined 49% of the world’s population.The citizens of major players on the global stage like the United States, Russia, the UK and the EU will go to the polls. As former Gartner analyst Richard Marshall puts it, “2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year.”

In the midst of this, major technology companies including Meta, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI have started negotiations to establish a pact aimed at curtailing the spread of AI-generated content intended to deceive voters. 

The initiative, dubbed the “accord” on deepfakes and other deceptive content, is slated to be unveiled during the upcoming Munich Security Conference this Friday.

“In a critical year for global elections, technology companies are working on an accord to combat the deceptive use of AI targeted at voters,” said a joint statement from several companies according to AP. 

“Adobe, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok and others are working jointly toward progress on this shared objective and we hope to finalise and present details on Friday.”

Reports from the Washington Post, which first uncovered the project, indicate that the companies will develop strategies for the identification, labelling, and control of AI-generated images, videos, and audio specifically designed to mislead voters. 

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According to Sumsub’s Identity Fraud Report, there was a 10x increase in the number of deepfakes detected globally between 2022 and last year, with a 450% increase in the European, which includes the UK. 

Recent incidents, including a convincing robocall impersonating US President Joe Biden urging voters to abstain from casting ballots in the New Hampshire primary, underscore the urgent need for action against deceptive AI content. Similarly, in Pakistan, the use of AI to fabricate speeches by the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has raised concerns about the potential impact on electoral processes.

In a bid to enhance transparency and accountability, Meta, Google, and OpenAI have already agreed to adopt a standardised watermarking protocol. This protocol would enable the tagging of images generated by their respective AI applications, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, or Google’s Gemini.