More than 300 experts in technology, artificial intelligence (AI), digital ethics, and child safety from various parts of the world have joined forces to sign an open letter calling on governments to take immediate action against deepfakes. The letter, titled “Disrupting the Deepfake Supply Chain,” was released on February 21 and emphasizes the need for governments, policymakers, and political leaders to impose obligations within the supply chain to combat the proliferation of deepfakes.
The letter outlines three main actions to address the issue. Firstly, it urges the full criminalization of deepfake child pornography, even if it involves fictional children. Secondly, it calls for criminal penalties to be imposed on individuals who knowingly create or facilitate the spread of harmful deepfakes. Additionally, it demands that software developers and distributors take responsibility for ensuring their media products do not generate harmful deepfakes, with penalties imposed if they fail to meet the required standards.
Prominent figures who have signed the letter include Andrew Yang, a United States politician and crypto supporter, and Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist. Two former presidents of Estonia and numerous other intellectuals from countries such as the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan, and China have also added their names to the letter.
Andrew Critch, an AI researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of the letter, explained that it was created to encourage global public support for the implementation of laws that can effectively combat deepfakes through immediate action.
Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League and author of “Unmasking AI,” emphasized the need for “biometric rights” and stressed the importance of imposing severe consequences for egregious abuses of AI.
The Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory Lab and the Center for AI Safety are among the organizations involved in the development and dissemination of the letter.
Although current legislation in the US does not adequately address and prohibit the production and dissemination of deepfakes, recent incidents have prompted regulators to take swift action. Following the circulation of viral deepfakes featuring pop singer Taylor Swift on social media platforms, US lawmakers began pushing for legislation to criminalize the production of deepfake images. Furthermore, in response to a deepfake utilizing the likeness of President Joe Biden in scam robocalls, the US banned the use of AI-generated voices. On February 16, the US Federal Trade Commission proposed updates to regulations aimed at preventing AI from impersonating businesses or government agencies for consumer protection purposes.