Brad Smith, Microsoft President, Calls for New Deepfake Fraud Legislation in US Congress

The emergence of generative AI has led to a troubling increase in digital “deepfake”content, maliciously produced by actors aiming to disseminate false information about individuals and topics online. This trend raises significant concerns, especially with the impending 2024 US Presidential Election.

In this context, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has been closely observing how state-sponsored threat actors from Russia, Iran, and China are creating misleading websites, social media posts, and videos to attempt to sway the 2024 election. Recently, the company released a report indicating that actors based in Russia have been generating videos aimed at spreading disinformation about the Democratic US Presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz.

Today, Microsoft shared the written testimony of company president Brad Smith on its blog, following his appearance before the US Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington DC. The hearing focused on foreign threats to US elections and the obligations of US tech companies, such as Microsoft, to combat these threats.

In his written statement, Smith outlined the ongoing efforts by state-sponsored groups to leverage AI and deepfake technology to influence the 2024 elections. He also called upon the committee and the US Congress to take proactive measures.

In his testimony, Smith stated:

First, Congress should enact a new federal “deepfake fraud statute.” We need to provide law enforcement officials, including state attorneys general, with a standalone legal framework to prosecute AI-generated fraud and scams as they multiply in speed and complexity.

Smith further emphasized that Congress should mandate that any provider of AI systems must label AI-generated content with “state-of-the-art provenance tooling.”Additionally, he advocated for the passage of the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, which has already been introduced by a bipartisan group of US lawmakers. Among other provisions, this bill would prohibit the use of AI in generating political content for federal lawmakers, with exceptions made for satirical content or usage in newsrooms.

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