KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As Election Day approaches, administrators are warning voters to be wary of misleading content and messages that could be designed to sway opinions. Tech experts are also warning that artificially intelligent technology could give people the tools to easily fake photos and videos of candidates.
Paul Sponcia, the CEO of The IT Company, said artificial intelligence can generate content that tests people's skepticism. It can mimic voices and create simple videos that can appear to show people in bizarre circumstances. The technology can also be used to impersonate people.
"It can impersonate your voice and you can call somebody, and it's not you," he said. "It's so powerful now, that we can actually replicate things we could never have replicated."
However, artificial intelligence is not perfect. The Better Business Bureau reports generated images tend to have glossy and dreamlike appearances, and said they often cannot accurately depict some small details — most commonly text, fingers and feet. Generated audio files that can also sound flat, with odd enunciations of words and certain sounds falling flat.
The most common way to tell if some content is true is to do research and maintain a healthy skepticism. If it appears unlikely for a candidate or leader to behave the way a piece of content is claiming, people should search for other content backing it up trying to find the context it would have been created in.
"Are they cursing, saying outlandish things that doesn't make sense in the context?" said Sponcia. "Does the person look out of place, especially if they are with multiple people?"
Chris Davis, Knox County's administrator of elections, said he has seen misinformation that could impact the upcoming election.
"We get this frequently — a polling place is closed when it's really not, or the hours changed when they really haven't," he said. "We always encourage the voter to call us if you have a question, and check reputable sources."
He said voters should do their homework ahead of voting, and to step outside social media. For information about how to cast a ballot. The Knox County Election Commission can answer local voters' questions and is available at (865) 215-2480. Most other counties have election commissions that can answer questions.
Election information is also available on the Tennessee Secretary of State's website.
Anyone who encounters content that could be generated by artificial intelligence can also use online tools to test its legitimacy, such as ZeroGPT for written content.