In preparation for the upcoming European Parliament elections scheduled for June, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has announced plans to establish a specialised team to address disinformation and the misuse of generative artificial intelligence (AI).
The announcement follows a recent collaboration between Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and 17 other tech companies to combat deceptive AI-generated content aimed at interfering with elections globally.
Generative AI, which has seen rapid development in recent years, enables the creation of text, images, and video in mere seconds in response to prompts. However, the technology’s capabilities have raised alarm, with fears that it could be exploited to disrupt major elections worldwide.
With the European Parliament elections slated to occur from 6th to 9th June 2024, Meta is taking active measures to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. Marco Pancini, Meta’s head of EU affairs, has revealed plans to establish an Elections Operations Centre, tasked with identifying and addressing potential threats in real time.
The multidisciplinary team will comprise experts from Meta’s intelligence, data science, engineering, research, operations, content policy, and legal departments. Their primary focus will be on combating misinformation, countering influence operations, and reducing risks associated with the misuse of generative AI.
As part of its efforts, Meta intends to expand its collaboration with fact-checking organisations across the European Union. Currently working with 26 independent partners covering 22 languages, the company plans to bring onboard three new partners in Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia to bolster its capabilities in detecting and debunking false information.
With the deployment of its specialised defence team and enhanced partnerships, Meta aims to bolster trust in the electoral process and ensure that voters have access to accurate and reliable information ahead of the crucial event.
