League of Women Voters Holds AI Webinar
The League of Women Voters Diablo Valley hosted a public webinar on artificial intelligence this past Thursday. The event was designed to educate the community on the emerging technology and its societal implications.
The webinar, titled "AI: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," featured Dr. David Evan Harris interviewed by Professor Nolan Higdon, focusing on how AI is already shaping education, government, and civic life. The discussion was designed to provide clear explanations and real-world examples of AI's impact. The national League of Women Voters has been actively monitoring the technology's effect on elections. The organization is particularly concerned that AI-generated disinformation could undermine the role of voters and corrupt the election process. In October 2023, the League supported a petition to the Federal Election Commission to regulate "Deceptive AI Campaign Communications." This move urged the FEC to classify these communications as "fraudulent misrepresentation" under U.S. law. The League's concerns are heightened by the rise of "deepfakes"—highly realistic, manipulated audio or video content. In a notable 2024 incident, AI-generated robocalls using a deepfake of President Biden's voice were used to discourage participation in the New Hampshire primary. To combat such threats, the League of Women Voters has initiated the Democracy Truth Project. This project trains volunteers to identify and report AI-supported election misinformation through a partnership with the Algorithmic Transparency Institute. While the risks are significant, experts also note the potential benefits of AI in democracy. The technology can be used to analyze data for better voter outreach, create tools to detect misinformation, and make complex political issues more accessible to the public.
