TOKYO, Jul 14 (News On Japan) –
Synthetic intelligence could pose each alternatives and threats to democracy, says Yutaka Matsuo, a number one AI researcher on the College of Tokyo, who warns that voters should stay vigilant in regards to the affect of AI-generated content material in political campaigns.
In a wide-ranging interview, Matsuo emphasised that whereas AI may help deepen voters’ understanding of political points, it can be misused to govern opinions, distort details, and undermine honest elections.
Matsuo identified that with the unfold of deepfakes and artificial media on social networks, there may be rising concern that AI is already harming democratic processes. “Individuals must be cautious to not settle for data at face worth,” he mentioned. “Although some platforms use AI for fact-checking, no system is ideal. It’s necessary to test sources and cross-reference data.”
Wanting forward, Matsuo mentioned he believes that AI, if used appropriately, may improve democracy by serving to each candidates and voters make clear their positions. For instance, AI instruments may summarize advanced insurance policies or have interaction in dialogue with customers to assist them suppose extra deeply about their selections. Nonetheless, he additionally warned that malicious makes use of—resembling embedding language that solely AI understands to bias evaluation—may mislead voters who depend on AI-generated explanations.
He likened the potential for AI-driven manipulation to previous instances resembling Cambridge Analytica, the place person knowledge was weaponized to affect political habits. “Advertising and opinion shaping are usually not that totally different,” he famous. “As strategies to steer shoppers evolve, they might be tailored to information voter habits as effectively.”
Matsuo burdened the significance of transparency in how AI is utilized in political communication. Voters, he mentioned, have the proper to know whether or not the knowledge they’re seeing has been tailor-made to them utilizing AI and whether or not it’s artificially generated. He added that this consciousness is crucial for making considerate voting choices: “We should always ask ourselves, why am I voting for this candidate? What influenced me? Was it a social media video I noticed yesterday? Was it actual?”
He additionally noticed a divide between established political events and newer ones in terms of AI and social media. Whereas main events are usually cautious, smaller events typically embrace these instruments extra aggressively, leveraging digital platforms to amplify their voices. “AI and SNS can empower smaller teams, however the affect relies on how they’re used,” he mentioned. “There’s a variety of outcomes, each constructive and destructive.”
Regardless of the potential for misuse, Matsuo mentioned elections ought to finally be guided by correct and dependable data. “AI could be a highly effective instrument for understanding,” he concluded, “however solely whether it is used correctly and voters keep conscious of how they’re being influenced.”
When requested whether or not Japan’s present election system is well-designed from an AI researcher’s perspective, Matsuo described it as “a system that will not seize each nuanced desire of voters however one which avoids making main errors.” In different phrases, whereas imperfect, the democratic course of is structured to replicate public will in a broadly steady method—a view that underscores the necessity for considerate integration of AI into future political methods.
Supply: テレ東BIZ
