AI’s Threat To Democracy & A Deep Blue Sea Spy
May 31, 2023
The Election Looms While Deepfakes Lurk
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the waves of deepfake videos of presidential candidates and political figures are already beginning to wash ashore. We’re over a year out, but we’ve so far seen videos of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Anderson Cooper making insane statements (endorsing Ron DeSantis, ranting at a transgender person, and dropping profanities, respectively) using AI-powered fabrication technology called deepfaking.
For those out of the loop, deepfaking uses AI to essentially create a 3D mask of, say, Joe Biden by studying the millions of images available of him online. It can then overlay this mask over the face of a different person in a video. Here’s an example of a deepfaked Tom Cruise – though it helps that the actor has his mannerisms down pat. There are also audio deepfakes, which use AI to replicate voices using recordings available online.
DeepMedia, a company trying to develop tools to detect deepfakes, predicts there will be 500,000 video and audio deepfakes shared online in 2023 alone. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube all have policies in place to take down harmful deepfakes, but it’s unclear if those will be enough to handle the presidential election – especially as deepfakes get easier to create. AI company OpenAI has already blocked its image generation tech from impersonating certain political figures, though competitor Midjourney has no such policy in place yet.
On Tuesday, the Center for AI Safety – which includes leading members from the AI industry – released a (very brief) statement declaring that humanity needs to treat AI as a possible extinction-level event. “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” reads the statement in its entirety. The statement adds to growing calls for increased regulation of AI, even as the technology seems to be in its early stages – deepfakes might just be the tip of the iceberg.
Some Good News
- Casteless utopia: California religious group backs bill to ban caste discrimination (AP)
- For the first time, more money is going into solar power than oil (CBS)
We’re Not Friends, Don’t Talk To Me
- Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu said he didn’t want to sit down with his counterpart, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, at Singapore’s security summit Shangri-La Dialogue. The Chinese minister blamed the bad vibes between the two superpowers as the reason behind the decision.
- China’s foreign ministry says the U.S. is “well aware” of the reasons it’s rejected the meeting – the U.S. has upped its military presence in the Pacific in recent years, sending more troops to bases in South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines as China looks to expand its influence in the region. The Pentagon says it wants to push for more communication between the two nations “to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”
Not-so Normalized Ties
- On Monday, dozens of NATO peacekeepers in northern Kosovo were injured in attacks by ethnic Serbs. Clashes between peacekeepers and protesters were sparked by the appointment of ethnically Albanian mayors in an area where most of Kosovo’s Serbian population is located. Kosovo and Serbia have been at odds since the former separated from Serbia 15 years ago.
- Kosovo, which is majority ethnically Albanian, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with the country gaining recognition from 101 members of the U.N. Meanwhile, Serbia views Kosovo as part of its own territory, and Serbs living in Kosovo (who make up less than 10% of the country’s population) see themselves as citizens of Serbia.
- In March of this year, the two countries signed an agreement to normalize diplomatic relations. However, their normalized ties were quickly interrupted when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called on Serbians in Kosovo to boycott local elections, leading to just 1,567 people (a turnout of just 3.5%) casting ballots in four of the country’s northern municipalities – placing Albanians in power. This led to clashes with NATO’s Kosovo Forces on Monday, which saw 30 peacekeepers injured. The European Union’s foreign policy head has called for “both parties to urgently take measures to de-escalate tensions immediately and unconditionally.”
Additional World News
- At least 10 dead, 55 injured as bus of Hindu pilgrims falls into gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir (ABC)
- United Conservatives’ narrow Alberta win sets up conflict with Trudeau (Guardian)
- 2 Iranian journalists’ trials begin over coverage of woman’s death in police custody (ABC)
- Japanese court says government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional (ABC)
- Drones strike Moscow in first attack on Russian capital’s residential areas since Ukraine war began (NBC)
- Teen girl in India stabbed to death in public, reigniting outrage over violence against women (CNN)
- Japan PM fires son after pictures emerge of ‘inappropriate’ private party at official residence (Guardian)
“Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks.” – Stephen Hawking
Investigator Asks Targets Where To Investigate, Is Misled
- As special counsel Jack Smith continues the investigation into the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago by the FBI, more information has come to light. Evan Corcoran, one of Trump’s lawyers, said that after the justice department issued a subpoena, he was tasked with helping to search Trump’s home for documents.
- Trump’s aides told Corcoran to search the storage room, assuring him that was where any documents could be found. When Corcoran asked if he should search Trump’s office, he was directed elsewhere – the FBI seized 101 documents from the office months later.
The Sacklers Give Up Some Money Bags
- Under a plan approved Tuesday by an appeals court in New York, OxyContin will be able to settle thousands of legal claims tied to the opioid epidemic while shielding the Sackler family, owners of the manufacturer Purdue Pharma, from future lawsuits. The Sacklers will give up ownership of Purdue, which will then become Knoa.
- The decision protects the Sacklers from lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis, but Knoa’s proceeds will go to a fund dedicated to preventing and treating addiction. Family members would also contribute $5.5 billion to $6 billion in cash at some point in the future – about half of what the court found to be their collective fortune.
Additional USA News
- Woman rescued uninjured 24 hours after Iowa building’s partial collapse (NBC)
- Natalee Holloway case suspect Joran van der Sloot beaten in Peruvian prison, attorney tells ABC News (CNN)
- ‘An egregious act’: debt ceiling deal imperils the environment, critics say (Guardian)
- Bidens mark eight years since Beau Biden’s death (CNN)
- Ralph Yarl, Black teen shot for ringing the wrong doorbell, walks at brain injury event (NBC)
- Maine state trooper shot at a truck approaching the US-Canada border with a sign indicating there was an explosive on board, police say (CNN)
- The stark numbers driving Democratic panic about a third-party 2024 bid (NBC)
He’s Having A Whale Of A Time Gathering Intel
- Forget the boogeyman of China for a minute, and instead focus on something more concrete and vital – the beluga whale of the Russian military. On Monday, a nonprofit focused on tracking the beluga whale known as Hvaldimir said he’d been seen in Swedish waters near the nation’s capital of Oslo.
- The whale first appeared in 2019 in Norway, and is suspected to be a Russian military asset due to his friendliness with humans (which could be attributed to human training) and the camera mounts on the harness he’s been seen wearing. Labels on his harness also read “Equipment St. Petersburg,” but he seems to have forgotten his actual surveillance equipment back home.
- “After four years of swimming south down the coast of Norway, Hvaldimir – known worldwide as the ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale – is now in Swedish waters,” claimed OneWhale, a nonprofit dedicated to “saving” the whale. The organization seems to operate out of Norway while being classified as a U.S. 501(c)(3) headquartered in Laguna Beach, California. The group’s sole mission seems to be relocating Hvaldimir to a Norwegian fjord, which will then be turned into a wildlife refuge for other whales. Here’s their bizarre website.
Additional Reads
- Elizabeth Holmes starts her 11-year prison sentence today. Here’s what to know (NPR)
- Memorial Day weekend air travel surpasses pre-pandemic levels (CNN)
- US climber urges better policing to keep Everest free from garbage (Reuters)
- Venice authorities discover why canal turned fluorescent green (CNN)
- Secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion (NPR)
- Woman knocked unconscious but wins chaotic U.K. race chasing cheese down a hill (NBC)
- Snorkeler survives crocodile attack by pulling his head from its jaws (CNN)