Artificial intelligence and the presidential election

TOLEDO, Ohio — Before the New Hampshire primary, there were some who received calls that appeared to be from President Joe Biden, who’s seeking reelection — but those calls were AI-generated. The incidents are, indeed, timely, as our conversation about artificial intelligence seeps into this year’s presidential election.

Biden, himself, actually signed an executive order in late October, which required developers to share their safety test results with the U.S. government, tasked the The National Institute of Standards and Technology with developing a checklist new tech must pass before hitting the market — among other things. The president’s action also developed resources for AI to be used for good in a classroom setting, while also ordering a report on potential harm to the workforce.

As the actions of using A.I. to our benefit in the executive order suggest, it’s not going anywhere. So what can you do to prevent being fooled? Here are some tips: check your sources, be wary of things that appear too good to be true (find reliable news articles about them, to verify), and take video from unofficial accounts with a grain of salt.