A collective of more than 300 international technology, artificial intelligence (AI), digital ethics, and child safety experts have endorsed an open letter that demands “immediate action” from governments to address the issue of deepfakes.
Under the heading “Disrupting the Deepfake Supply Chain,” the February 21 letter urges political leaders, governments, and policymakers to “impose obligations” in the supply chain to curtail the spread of deepfakes.
The first of the three primary courses of action is to criminalize deepfake child pornography in its entirety, including that which features fictitious children.
Furthermore, it demands criminal sanctions for individuals who “knowingly facilitate or create the spread of harmful deepfakes,” as well as stipulations for software developers and distributors to guarantee that their media products do not generate such deepfakes. Inadequate compliance with these standards would result in penalties.
Andrew Yang, a politician and supporter of cryptocurrencies from the United States; Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist; two former presidents of Estonia; and hundreds of other intellectuals from countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and China have signed the letter.
Andrew Critch, an AI researcher in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the letter’s primary author stated:
“Deepfakes are a huge threat to human society and are already causing growing harm to individuals, communities, and the functioning of democracy.”
He stated that he and his colleagues drafted the letter so that the international public could demonstrate “immediate action” in support of legislative efforts to halt deepfakes.
Author of Unmasking AI and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, Dr. Joy Buolamwini, stated that the necessity for “biometric rights” has become “ever more apparent.”
“While no one is immune to algorithmic abuse, those already marginalized in society shoulder an even larger burden. 98% of non-consensual deepfakes are of women and girls. That is why it is up to all of us to speak out against harmful uses of AI.”
“Serious repercussions must ensue for egregious abuses of AI,” she stated.
Additionally, the Center for AI Safety and the Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory Lab participated in formulating and distributing the letter.
Existing legislation in the United States needs to prohibit and regulate the production and distribution of deepfakes adequately. Recent occurrences, nevertheless, have obligated regulatory bodies to take swifter action.
In light of an onslaught of deepfake images showcasing pop star Taylor Swift that swept across various social media platforms, legislators in the United States initiated calls for expeditious action legislation that would render the creation of such images illegal.
The United States outlawed the use of AI-generated voices in fraudulent robocalls a few days later in response to the dissemination of a deep fake featuring the image of President Joe Biden.
For consumer protection purposes, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed revisions to regulations prohibiting artificial intelligence (AI) from impersonating businesses or government agencies on February 16.
