MIT AI Risk Repository · Risk Sub-Category · 55.04.03
AI's persuasive capabilities are misused to gain influence and promote harmful ideologies
Category: Worsened epistemic processes for society
Description
"As AI capabilities advance, they may be used to develop sophisticated persuasion tools, such as those that tailor their communication to specific users to persuade them of certain claims [42]. While these tools could be used for social good— such as New York Times’ chatbot that helps users to persuade people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 [27]—there are also many ways they could be misused by self-interested groups to gain influence and/or to promote harmful ideologies."
From A Survey of the Potential Long-term Impacts of AI: How AI Could Lead to Long-term Changes in Science, Cooperation, Power, Epistemics and Values (Clarke2023), as extracted by the MIT AI Risk Repository (CC BY 4.0).
Classification
- Domain
- 4. Malicious actors
- Causal entity
- Human
- Intent
- Intentional
- Timing
- Post-deployment
Subdomain definition: Using AI systems to conduct large-scale disinformation campaigns, malicious surveillance, or targeted and sophisticated automated censorship and propaganda, with the aim to manipulate political processes, public opinion and behavior.
Real-world incidents in this subdomain
- Suspected AI-Generated Deepfake Video Reportedly Targeted Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Instagram
- Purportedly AI-Manipulated Satellite Image Reportedly Claimed Iranian Strike Destroyed U.S. Radar in Qatar
- Purported AI-Generated War Footage Reportedly Circulated Widely Online During the Opening Phase of the War in Iran
- Network of Allegedly Fake Facebook Profiles with Purportedly AI-Generated Images Amplified Posts by Bulgaria's 'There Is Such a People' (ITN) Party
- Purportedly AI-Generated Image Reportedly Circulated Ahead of Thai Election Depicting PM Anutin Charnvirakul Dining with Benjamin Mauerberger
- Purportedly AI-Altered Images Reportedly Distort Evidence After Minneapolis Shooting of ICU Nurse Alex Pretti
How other frameworks describe this risk
Other entries from Clarke2023
- Risks from accelerating scientific progress
- Eased development of technologies that make a global catastrophe more likely
- Eased development of technologies that make a global catastrophe more likely
- Faster scientific progress makes it harder for governance to keep pace with development
- Faster scientific progress makes it harder for governance to keep pace with development
- Worsened conflict
- AI enables development of weapons of mass destruction
- AI enables automation of military decision-making
- AI-induced strategic instability
- Resource conflicts driven by AI development
- Increased power concentration and inequality
- Unequal distribution of harms and benefits