In light of Big Tech's failure to combat disinformation this past election year, Google shared its service assurance plans for next year. The company said its plans are driven by the fact that there are many high-profile elections in 2024, but the biggest is undoubtedly the U.S. presidential election. With primaries and independent elections already underway, it’s not uncommon to see ads created with artificial intelligence appearing without any disclosure. Political activity will only intensify next year, and Google hopes these measures will help increase transparency and limit misinformation.
Google announced its plans in a blog post, ranging from ad disclosures to content labels. The biggest move, though, is limiting its AI-generated tools from responding to election-based queries. These tools include the chatbot GoogleBard and the AI-enhanced search tool Search Generated Experience (SGE).
The changes will take effect early next year, but Google hasn't said which types of queries will be restricted. The company did say, however, that it would "proceed with caution" regarding election-related use in 2024.
Google's plan, while vague, appears to be an industry-leading step toward stopping generative AI from spreading misinformation in elections. The company's biggest rival, OpenAI, recently launched more powerful tools to root out disinformation in its generative artificial intelligence models. However, the company has not yet committed to completely restricting certain types of election-related uses.
The company is also rolling out other measures to increase transparency. YouTube creators will soon have to disclose when they use "doctored or synthesized content" in their videos. It's unclear how this will be implemented, but in principle it's a good start. Google's existing ad transparency policy requires political advertisers to disclose whether doctored or synthetic content is used in their ads.
As in past years, Google's goal is to provide users with election information from high-quality sources across its portfolio of apps and services. This includes Search, News, YouTube, Maps, and Ads.
On the other hand, Google said it will continue to provide the most comprehensive network security protection for political activities through the Advanced Protection Program.
As key elections approach, we expect to see more big tech companies discussing plans to increase transparency and combat disinformation.
Visit the Google blog for more details:
https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/civics/how-were-approaching-the-2024-us-elections/