With Rising AI-Generated Disinformation Circulating Nationally, Hearing Outlines How To Protect SF Elections

With an increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in elections across the country, Supervisor Dean Preston held a hearing on San Francisco’s regulations and oversight of artificial intelligence in local elections. The hearing highlighted possible state and local legislation to strengthen protections, including five bills pending in Sacramento to address AI’s role in elections.

“Political PACs are increasingly using AI-generated content to spread false information across the nation,” said Supervisor Preston. “To promote transparency and protect election integrity, our city needs to do everything we can to prevent the use of fake or deceptive AI-generated content in campaign materials disseminated to the public.”

Nationwide, concerns with AI in elections are growing. Political ads have already been released using AI-generated images and text-to-voice converters to depict candidates negatively and sow disinformation in elections. AI technology is making it increasingly difficult for the public to accurately identify fraudulent video and audio material. An AP poll found that nearly 6 in 10 adults are worried about AI tools increasing the spread of false and misleading information in the 2024 elections.

“Our world is undergoing significant shifts due to AI. We've already seen our democracy attacked through online influence and disinformation campaigns for close to a decade. AI in the wrong hands can supercharge these attacks,” said David Evan Harris, a faculty member at UC Berkeley and advisor to the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. “Hearings like this are critical, and one of the many conversations I've been having with elected officials, experts in technology, and the public on AI’s impact on elections to inform the way forward.”

During the hearing, Harris identified new policies to address AI’s role in San Francisco elections, and how to better prepare for the November elections. Some of the recommendations came from the recently announced report that he co-authored, from the Brennan Center on How Election Officials Can Identify, Prepare for, and Respond to AI Threats. The recent report describes AI threats and lists actions and steps that election officials can take to make upcoming elections as safe and secure as possible.

“While we eagerly await state and federal oversight and regulation, the city needs to step up to respond to misleading AI content, to educate the public, and ensure transparency and accountability in our elections,” said Supervisor Preston. “I am proud to partner with advocates, policy experts, the Ethics Commission, and the Department of Elections to develop safeguards to prevent fake AI-generated material from misleading voters.”

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