In a remarkable revelation, Eric Adams, the current Mayor of New York City, has disclosed the use of artificial intelligence to simulcast his voice in languages he does not comprehend, such as Mandarin and Yiddish, for robocall transmission. The aim was to disseminate information regarding the city’s employment drives in diverse languages, opening up an ethical dilemma on the usage and governmental deployment of this rapidly advancing technology.
Adams, who aligns himself with the Democratic party, was quite candid about this innovative yet contentious approach. A frequent interaction he encounters is New Yorkers incredulously associating him with knowledge of Mandarin. He responded, “The robocalls we’re utilizing are testament to our aim of reaching out to the diverse populace of New York, in their respective languages.”
However, this venture has been met with criticism. As the AI realm grows exponentially, government and regulatory bodies grapple with how to navigate its ethical and legal implications. “Deepfake” technology, an offshoot of AI, is a particularly notable area of concern, given its ability to manipulate videos and audio, creating a deceptive portrayal of actions and speech.
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a watchdog based in New York, has criticized the mayor’s approach categorizing it as a deceptive deployment of AI. “The mayor is essentially creating deep fakes of himself,” commented Albert Fox Cahn, head of the organization. He dubbed the scheme as “deeply unethical” and “domineering,” calling for different language broadcasts that are sincere rather than nefarious.
In the wake of rising AI usage and the advent of deepfakes, calls for reinforced regulation are widespread. Google first led the charge, applying labels to misleading AI-generated political adverts. Facebook and Meta closely followed, issuing a policy limiting the misuse of morphed imagery and audio intended for disinformation.
The current U.S. Senate is also mulling over a bipartisan bill that looks to outlaw deceptive deepfakes, especially in relation to federal candidates. In light of these concerns, two congressmen penned a letter this month to the bosses at Meta and Twitter, voicing their concerns about AI-generated political ads on their platforms.
Undeterred by such ethical objections, Adams justified his actions, stressing the need for expediency and communication with residents in their familiar languages. “At this juncture, my primary focus is running the city effectively and maintaining open channels of communication with New Yorkers in languages they comprehend best,” Adams expressed.
