Kathy Sullivan – a prominent New Hampshire Democrat and former state party chair – is calling for the prosecution of those responsible, describing the incident as “an attack on democracy.”

The call began with a dismissive “What a bunch of malarkey,” a phrase that’s become associated with the 81-year-old president. It then went on to discourage voting in the primary, suggesting that Democrats should save their votes for the November election.

Sullivan, an attorney, believes the call may violate several laws and is determined to uncover the individuals behind it. New Hampshire attorney general, John Formella, has urged voters to disregard the call’s contents.

The robocall controversy has sparked an investigation, with NBC News releasing a recording of the call. Sullivan’s phone number was included in the message, raising concerns about privacy and potential harassment.

This incident comes amid a wider debate about the use of AI in political campaigns. OpenAI recently suspended the developer of a ChatGPT-powered bot called Dean.Bot that mimicked Democratic candidate Dean Phillips.

As concerns about AI manipulation in elections grow, advocacy groups like Public Citizen are pushing for federal regulation. A petition from Public Citizen calls on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to regulate AI use in campaign ads. The FEC chair, Sean Cooksey, acknowledged the issue but stated that resolving it might take until early summer.

The deepfake call and politician-impersonating chatbot has intensified calls for swift action to address the potential chaos AI could cause in elections. With state lawmakers also considering bills to tackle this practice, the incident raises questions about the vulnerability of democratic processes to AI manipulation in a crucial election year.

(Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash)

See also: OpenAI launches GPT Store for custom AI assistants

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with Digital Transformation Week and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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The bot, created by “cloning” startup Delphi, aimed to support Phillips in his political campaign. However, this move directly contradicts OpenAI’s policies, leading to the suspension of the responsible developer.

The Washington Post reported that, despite displaying a disclaimer describing the nature of the chatbot to visitors, Dean.Bot’s purpose was clear: to engage with potential supporters and spread the candidate’s message.

OpenAI, in response, confirmed the suspension of the developer—emphasising the violation of their policies. This action follows OpenAI’s recent blog post outlining preventive measures against the misuse of its technology, specifically highlighting the prohibition of “chatbots impersonating candidates” in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

Notably, OpenAI’s policies extend beyond this particular case—explicitly stating that applications for political campaigning and lobbying are not permitted.

In a crucial election year – not just in the US, but also in other Western democracies like the UK – it’s unsurprising that OpenAI is taking a firm stance against bots that could be seen to interfere and/or spread misinformation.

In response to the inquiry, Delphi initially removed ChatGPT from the bot and continued its operation using alternative open-source tools. However, OpenAI’s intervention prompted the ultimate suspension of the chatbot on Friday night.

Visitors to the Dean.Bot website are now told the chatbot is inaccessible due to “technical difficulties,” alongside a message that reads, “Apologies, DeanBot is away campaigning right now!”

(Image Credit: Gage Skidmore under CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED license)

See also: OpenAI launches GPT Store for custom AI assistants

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with Digital Transformation Week and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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The post OpenAI suspends developer of politician-impersonating chatbot appeared first on AI News.

The bill is an updated version of one first introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in 2019 but never passed the House or Senate. The updated bill was introduced this week by Wyden alongside Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY)

Concern about bias in algorithms is increasing as they become used for ever more critical decisions. Bias would lead to inequalities being automated—with some people being given more opportunities than others.

“As algorithms and other automated decision systems take on increasingly prominent roles in our lives, we have a responsibility to ensure that they are adequately assessed for biases that may disadvantage minority or marginalised communities,” said Booker.

A human can always be held accountable for a decision to, say, reject a mortgage/loan application. There’s currently little-to-no accountability for algorithmic decisions.

Representative Yvette Clarke explained:

“When algorithms determine who goes to college, who gets healthcare, who gets a home, and even who goes to prison, algorithmic discrimination must be treated as the highly significant issue that it is.

These large and impactful decisions, which have become increasingly void of human input, are forming the foundation of our American society that generations to come will build upon. And yet, they are subject to a wide range of flaws from programming bias to faulty datasets that can reinforce broader societal discrimination, particularly against women and people of colour.

It is long past time Congress act to hold companies and software developers accountable for their discrimination by automation

With our renewed Algorithmic Accountability Act, large companies will no longer be able to turn a blind eye towards the deleterious impact of their automated systems, intended or not. We must ensure that our 21st Century technologies become tools of empowerment, rather than marginalisation and seclusion.”

The bill would force audits of AI systems; with findings reported to the Federal Trade Commission. A public database would be created so decisions can be reviewed to give confidence to consumers.

“If someone decides not to rent you a house because of the colour of your skin, that’s flat-out illegal discrimination. Using a flawed algorithm or software that results in discrimination and bias is just as bad,” commented Wyden.

“Our bill will pull back the curtain on the secret algorithms that can decide whether Americans get to see a doctor, rent a house, or get into a school. Transparency and accountability are essential to give consumers choice and provide policymakers with the information needed to set the rules of the road for critical decision systems.”

In our predictions for the AI industry in 2022, we predicted an increased focus on Explainable AI (XAI). XAI is artificial intelligence in which the results of the solution can be understood by humans and is seen as a partial solution to algorithmic bias.

“Too often, Big Tech’s algorithms put profits before people, from negatively impacting young people’s mental health, to discriminating against people based on race, ethnicity, or gender, and everything in between,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis), who is co-sponsoring the bill.

“It is long past time for the American public and policymakers to get a look under the hood and see how these algorithms are being used and what next steps need to be taken to protect consumers.”

Joining Baldwin in co-sponsoring the Algorithmic Accountability Act are Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bob Casey (D-Pa), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

A copy of the full bill is available here (PDF)

(Photo by Darren Halstead on Unsplash)

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo. The next events in the series will be held in Santa Clara on 11-12 May 2022, Amsterdam on 20-21 September 2022, and London on 1-2 December 2022.

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