Earlier this year, the Democratic National Committee was concerned that campaigns across the country were experimenting with artificial intelligence. The group therefore made a request to some influential political party campaign committees: to sign guidelines pledging that they use the technology in a “responsible” way.
A copy of the draft agreement, obtained by The Associated Press, is filled with few revolutionary ideas. It requires campaigns to examine the work of artificial intelligence tools, prevent bias and avoid using artificial intelligence to create misleading content.
“Our aim is to use this new technology effectively and ethically, and in a way that promotes, rather than undermines, the values we espouse in our campaigns,” the draft said.
The plan went nowhere.
Rather than leading to an agreement, the guidelines have sparked debate about the value of such commitments, particularly those governing rapidly evolving technologies. Concerns expressed by Democratic campaign groups include that such a promise could undermine their ability to deploy artificial intelligence and could deter donors with ties to the AI industry. Some committee officials were also annoyed that the Democratic National Committee gave them only a few days to agree to the guidelines.
The proposal’s failure highlights internal divisions over campaign strategy and the party’s uncertainty over how best to use artificial intelligence, as experts warn the technology is fueling the spread of misinformation.
Hannah Muldavin, a senior spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, said the organization will not give up on seeking consensus.
She said the Democratic National Committee “will continue to work with our sister committees to discuss ideas and issues that are important to Democratic campaigns and American voters, including artificial intelligence.”
“It is not uncommon for ideas and plans to change, especially during a busy election year, and any document on this topic reflects early and ongoing conversations,” Muldavin said. He added, “The Democratic National Committee and our Partners take seriously opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.
The debate comes as campaigns increasingly deploy artificial intelligence — computer systems, software or processes that simulate aspects of human work and cognition — to optimize workloads. This includes using large language models to write fundraising emails, text supporters, and building chatbots to answer constituent questions.
This trend is expected to continue as the November election approaches, with campaigns turning to powerful generative artificial intelligence tools to create text and images, as well as cloning human voices and creating videos at lightning speed.
The Republican National Committee used artificial intelligence-generated imagery in a television show last year to predict a dystopian future under President Joe Biden.
However, much of the adoption has been overshadowed by concerns about how campaigns can use artificial intelligence to deceive voters. Experts warn that artificial intelligence has become so powerful that it can easily generate “deep fake” videos, audio clips and other media targeting opposition candidates. Some states have passed legislation regulating the use of generative artificial intelligence. But so far, Congress has not passed any legislation regulating artificial intelligence at the federal level.
In the absence of oversight, the Democratic National Committee sought a set of guidelines that could serve as evidence that the party takes the threats and promises of artificial intelligence seriously. The company sent the proposal in March to five Democratic campaign committees seeking to elect candidates for the House, Senate, governor, state Legislature and state attorney general, according to a draft agreement.
The goal is to have each committee agree on a set of AI guardrails, and the Democratic National Committee proposed issuing a joint statement declaring that such guidelines would ensure that campaigns have access to “the tools they need to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation while empowering Campaigns safely and responsibly use generative artificial intelligence to engage more Americans in our democracy.
The Democratic committee had expected Chairman Jaime Harrison and leaders of other organizations to sign on to the statement.
Democrats say the proposal has been met with enthusiasm. Some senior committee leaders worry the agreement could have unforeseen consequences that could limit how campaigns use artificial intelligence, according to multiple Democratic staffers familiar with the outreach.
That could send the wrong message to tech companies and executives working on artificial intelligence, many of whom help fill campaign coffers in an election year.
Some of the Democratic Party’s most prolific donors are top tech entrepreneurs and artificial intelligence evangelists, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former OpenAI CEO Eric Schmidt hmidt). Google.
According to Federal Election Commission data, Altman has donated more than $200,000 to the Biden campaign and its allied Democratic Joint Fundraising Committee since the beginning of last year, and Schmidt has donated more than $500,000 to these groups during the same period. Dollar.
Two other AI proponents Dustin Moskovitz is FacebookThe same data shows that LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman donated more than $900,000 to Biden’s joint fundraising committee this cycle.
Multiple Democratic staffers said the DNC’s plan caught committees off guard because it offered little explanation beyond an expectation that each committee would agree on a list of best practices within days. Aides at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they felt rushed by the timeline the Democratic National Committee had urged them to sign as soon as possible.
Representatives for the Democratic Attorneys General Association did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Spokespeople for the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee declined to comment.
The Republican National Committee did not respond to questions about its artificial intelligence guidance. The Biden campaign also declined to comment when asked about the Democratic National Committee’s efforts.
The four-page agreement – “Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Elections” – covers everything from ensuring that AI systems cannot be trusted without human checks on their work, to working with voters to Artificial intelligence generates content or informs constituents when interacting with the system, among other aspects.
“With the explosive rise of generative artificial intelligence transforming every corner of public life – including political campaigns – it is more important than ever that we limit the potential threats this new technology poses to voter rights and Use it to run innovative, effective campaigns and stronger campaigns.
The guidance is divided into five sections, including the headings “Providing Human Alternatives, Considerations, and Fallbacks” and “Providing Notices and Explanations.” The proposed rules would require the Commission to ensure that “real people are responsible for approving AI-generated content and are accountable for how, where and to whom the content is deployed.”
The directive outlines that “users should always be vigilant when interacting with artificial intelligence robots” and emphasizes that any images or videos created by artificial intelligence “should be tagged.” It also emphasized that campaigns should use artificial intelligence to help staff, not replace them.
“The campaign is a people-first, people-first enterprise,” the agreement reads. “Use efficiency improvements to educate more constituents and focus more on quality control and sustainability.”
It also urged campaigns not to use “generative artificial intelligence to create misleading content. Period.”
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