The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is not uncommon in today’s advancing society, particularly in political circles. Notably, New York Mayor Eric Adams has been employing AI to transfigure his own voice into languages he doesn’t converse in, leading to emerging ethical quandaries linked to governmental adoption of this advancing technology.
Mayor Adams shared with media correspondents about these robocalls that ranged from Mandarin to Yiddish to foster city hiring events. Notably, these robocalls lacked any disclosure regarding his monolingual English competency or the fact they were AI generated.
Mayor Adams, a Democrat, explained, “Constituents often commend my ability to converse in Mandarin. The multilingual robocalls we utilize aim to address the city’s diverse citizenry directly.”
This exploitation of AI arrives while regulatory bodies are striving to determine how to ethically and legally navigate the use of such technologies. The challenge lies in managing deepfake videos or audios that can manipulate reality, making it seem as if anyone, anywhere, is undertaking whatever the perpetrator desires.
In New York, the surveillance watchdog Surveillance Technology Oversight Project strongly criticized Mayor Adams’ use of robocalls. Executive director Albert Fox Cahn voiced that the mayor’s creation of deepfakes was a deeply unethical act and misleading for city residents.
Increasing use of AI and deepfakes, particularly in political circles, prompted demands for more stringent regulation from governmental bodies and major media companies. Google was the initial tech giant to propose labels for deceptive AI-generated political advertisements. Parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, maintains policies restricting “doctored, manipulated or altered” audio and visuals used for misinformation.
A bipartisan bill seeks to prohibit “deceptively real” deepfakes related to federal candidates, with exceptions granted to parody and satire. Concerns indeed echo across the political spectrum, with two Democrat Congress members penning a letter to Meta and X (previously known as Twitter), expressing worries about AI-generated political ads on these platforms.
Mayor Adams defended his use of AI amid the ethical questioning. He stated his commitment to reaching out to New Yorkers in the language they speak. “I have to manage the city, and it’s imperative I communicate with people in a manner they comprehend,” Mayor Adams asserted, concluding with a Mandarin greeting, “ni hao.”
