Exploring the dual nature of AI in governments: Risks and solutions

The dual nature of AI in elections

AI as a tool for disinformation:

• Risk: AI allows for the creation of hyper-realistic deepfakes and false information, spreading disinformation quickly and efficiently. These manipulated videos and images have the potential to confuse and mislead voters, casting doubt on legitimate candidates and events.
• Solution: On the flip side, AI can be harnessed to combat this disinformation. AI-driven platforms can analyze massive amounts of online content in real time, detecting manipulated media and flagging false information before it spreads. Governments and organizations are already using AI to monitor and shut down coordinated disinformation campaigns, improving the transparency and accuracy of political communications.

AI-powered verification systems:

• Risk: AI technology could be exploited to create synthetic identities or carry out multi-accounting fraud in voter registration systems, threatening the integrity of elections. If left unchecked, such misuse of AI could allow individuals or groups to manipulate voting outcomes.
• Solution: AI-powered digital verification systems can detect and prevent voter fraud. These systems use machine learning to verify voter identities, ensuring that only legitimate, eligible voters participate in elections.

AI for voter engagement:

• Risk: Political campaigns may use AI to deploy personalized AI-driven chatbots or generate biased information, influencing voter decisions without offering a balanced perspective. This misuse of AI can lead to further polarization and misrepresentation of facts in political discourse.
• Solution: AI can also be used to increase voter engagement and transparency. Machine learning models can personalize voter education materials, making election information more accessible and tailored to the needs of individual voters. AI-powered tools can send personalized reminders and updates to ensure that voters have accurate information about polling places, voting deadlines, and candidates’ policies.

 AI’s role in election security:

• Risk: With the rise of AI-driven cyberattacks, voting systems and election infrastructure face new threats. Hackers could exploit AI to carry out sophisticated cyberattacks, compromising the security of digital voting systems.
• Solution: AI can also act as a defense against these threats. By monitoring networks in real-time and identifying suspicious behavior patterns, AI-based security systems can protect election infrastructure from cyberattacks. AI tools can detect and mitigate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, ensuring that the voting process remains secure.

How Veriff can help 

Kaarel Kotkas, Veriff's founder and CEO, emphasizes the importance of education and awareness about AI's capabilities, encouraging individuals to be cautious of suspicious emails or unknown calls, especially when asked for sensitive information or money. He urges people to trust their instincts and ask questions when in doubt. At the same time, Kaarel calls on companies, particularly social media platforms, to take responsibility for verifying accounts to shield users from false content, which can impact elections. Trust, verification, and critical evaluation of sources are crucial for safeguarding democracy during this election season.

"Trust, verification, and being source-critical will be the key to maintaining the integrity and protecting the principles of democracy," he said.

Veriff uses a multifaceted approach to combat AI-driven fraud and deepfakes, incorporating tools such as FaceCheck Liveness and DocCheck to verify both the authenticity of individuals and the legitimacy of their documents. These tools use AI and machine learning to detect anomalies and prevent fraudulent activities. Additionally, DeviceCheck helps identify and block synthetic identities, recurring fraud, and multi-accounting, ensuring that only eligible voters participate in the election.

Veriff’s CrossLinks further enhances fraud detection by analyzing connections between different sessions, uncovering fraud patterns that may not be visible in isolated verification attempts

Conclusion

AI-powered deepfakes and disinformation threaten democratic processes, compromising election integrity and public trust. Deepfakes create convincing false content that, when combined with disinformation, can mislead voters. However, AI can also enhance election security, increase voter engagement, and protect democratic institutions by detecting threats and monitoring suspicious activities.

FAQ

1. What is AI, and how is the government using it?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. Governments are using AI for various applications, including improving public services, national security, healthcare, and law enforcement, as well as optimizing internal processes like tax collection and fraud detection.

2. What are the benefits of using AI in government?

AI can help governments:

• Improve decision-making by analyzing vast amounts of data.
• Increase efficiency in administrative processes.
• Enhance public services through automation (e.g., chatbots for citizen inquiries).
• Improve public safety and national security through AI-driven surveillance and predictive analytics.
• Aid in healthcare, from managing public health crises to advancing medical research.

3. What are the ethical concerns about AI in government?

Key concerns include:

• Bias and discrimination: AI systems can perpetuate biases present in the data they are trained on.
• Privacy issues: AI technologies, like facial recognition and data analytics, may infringe on personal privacy.
• Transparency and accountability: AI decision-making processes are often opaque ("black box"), raising concerns about transparency and accountability in government decisions.
• Job displacement: AI automation may replace jobs in public services and administration.