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A top Arizona official has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could magnify “disinformation and misinformation” ahead of the upcoming election. 

Arizona’s Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, expressed his concerns on NBC’s “Meet the Press“ Sunday, drawing from his military background to emphasize the severity of the issue. “In boot camp and other military training in the Marine Corps, we studied the weapons of our enemies and trained against them. AI is not a new weapon; it’s an amplifier and a magnifier of mis- and disinformation,“ Fontes explained.

To combat this, Fontes has implemented measures to prepare election officials for the potential onslaught of AI-generated misinformation. He said, “What I wanted to do is make sure that our elections officials were familiar with it, we had processes to deal with it and address it within each of our counties, because our elections are run at the county level, as well.“ He also mentioned a tabletop exercise conducted to help election officials and media partners recognize and react to AI misinformation.

President Biden has also weighed in on the issue, noting that while AI can have its benefits, developers need to be responsible for its developments. On Tuesday, he posted on social media platform X, stating, “AI and the companies that wield its possibilities are going to transform the lives of people around the world – there’s no doubt about that. But first, they must earn our trust.“  

Additional Warnings:
In the same interview, Fontes also addressed the growing threats to election officials, categorizing them as “domestic terrorism.“ He noted that there is a rise in threats, stating, “Threats against election officials in the United States of America is domestic terrorism. Terrorism is defined as a threat or violence for a political outcome. That’s what this is.“