Amid the ongoing ruckus related to the forthcoming United States Presidential election, various tech companies have found themselves in tight positions. One such is Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O).
On Tuesday, December 19, Google announced that it would minimize the kinds of election-associated queries its AI chatbot Bard and search generative experience can return for the upcoming presidential election.
According to Google’s announcement, these restrictions will be effective in 2024. The firm also explained that the restriction applies to South Africa, India—the largest democracy worldwide, and several other jurisdictions.
The firm said it plans to prioritize the crucial roles AI could play in forthcoming elections as it services campaigns and voters associated with these elections.
In similar developments, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, said it’s banning political advertisers and campaigns in other regulated sectors from capitalizing on its new generative AI advertising products.
The platform stated that advertisers using the Meta social media platform will need to disclose when using AI or several other virtual methods to create or edit social, political, or election-associated campaigns on Instagram and Facebook.
Besides Meta, another social media platform that has spoken up about this issue is the Elon Musk-owned microblogging platform, X. In August, X, which banned all political campaigns globally since 2019, said it would now permit political advertising from political parties and candidates in the US.
The platform stated that it would also increase its safety and elections team in preparation for the elections.
The Call for Regulation to Ensure Safe Use of AI
On related developments, governments worldwide have been pushing for the regulation of the artificial intelligence industry, citing concerns about the risks it poses, including the rampant spread of misinformation.
Notable Tech companies are currently under very strict regulations from the European Union. In November, EU nations and European Parliament legislators agreed on new political campaign regulations.
These rules will force notable social media platforms like Meta’s Instagram, Thread, and Facebook, and Alphabet’s renowned search engine Google to offer more accountable and straightforward services.
The rules demand that tech firms clearly disclose political advertising on their websites. The disclosures will include the legal entities that paid for the adverts, the price each paid, and the elections the campaign was paid for.
Companies that default on these regulations are liable to pay fines of about 6% of an ad provider’s yearly turnover.
Furthermore, the regulations will restrict third-country companies from promoting political ads in the European Union within three months of the referendum or election. It will also include a bar on ads that profile individuals based on religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.
EU lawmaker MEP Sandro Gozi, who has been spearheading the process in the European Parliament, commented on the new EU rules. Gozi noted that these new rules will make it more difficult for alien actors to broadcast misinformation and interfere in the free and democratic processes.
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